What if I am a superhero?
by linnybug
Summary: Similar story to original Twilight, but with a very different Bella. Story has a better description. Rated M, just in case...
1. Chapter 1

So, every idea I've come up with has been a lot of the same stuff I've been writing

**So, every idea I've come up with has been a lot of the same stuff I've been writing...except this one. It's kind of a hokey idea, but I promise I won't let it get too caught up in its own kistchiness!**

**Premise: Imagine if Bella Swan was not just some girl from Phoenix who gets caught up with a family of vampires, but an extraordinary girl who had some amazing powers of her own. And she has a twin brother named Matt who shares her super-human status.**

**OK, so I was watching Hellboy when I thought about this, but I like the idea of Bella not being a damsel in distress. But, she'll still be sweet, little Bella. And the plot will follow a similar pattern as the original Twilight book, but with a twist.**

**By the way, I do not claim ownership to anything, just thought I'd throw that in there.**

**Washington D.C.: Home of Dr. Charles Wheeler and his two 17-year-old, adopted children, Bella and Matt**

"Kids, pack your things, we're leaving," Charlie said, running into the house and up the stairs to his room.

Bella and Matt were on the couch watching TV, completely baffled.

"Dad?" Matt called, standing up. "What's up?"

Charlie appeared at the top of the stairs, "D.C. isn't safe for you kids anymore."

"But, I thought things were going OK at The Agency," Bella said, suddenly worried.

"Oh, they're going a little too well now," Charlie yelled from his room. "The bosses are no longer satisfied to just experiment with your powers, they want to start training you."

"For what?" Matt asked.

"You don't want to know," Charlie said quietly. "And I'm not about to let this happen, so we're leaving tonight. Now pack your things."

BPOV

It wasn't like I really had any friends in D.C., but I was still sad to leave my home.

You see, I've never been "normal." Oh, I'm a human, alright, but not any ordinary human; I was born with certain...abilities. My twin brother, Matt, has abilities too. And, because of those abilities, we were taken from our birth parents when we were two. A government faction, simply known as The Agency, took me and Matt and started testing our abilities; we've discovered that I am capable of telepathy, telekinesis and have increased strength and speed. Though, I'm nothing compared to my brother who can lift objects 500 times his weight and can reach speeds that rival military aviation equipment. Though, his psychical abilities leave something to be desired.

And, it was suggested that our powers could possibly increase and expand as we got older.

Dr. Charles Wheeler became our caretaker when we were four, and he has been our father figure ever since. He's helped us to lead more normal lives, even though we've never been to a regular school.

Now he's sitting next to me, waiting for our plane to leave for a place called Forks, Washington—on the other side of the country. I've never even been outside of D.C.

"Dad, why are we going to this place?" I asked.

"It's secluded and I know a doctor who works at a local hospital," he said. "I can get a job and we can blend in there."

"So, we'll have to go to a real high school then, right?" Matt asked, excitedly – he's always dreamed of being a normal kid at a normal school; I'm definitely more of a loner.

"Yes, I'm enrolling you at Forks High School," Charlie said. "I had to put in a favor with a friend at the CIA and got you kids some new identification: you are now Bella and Matt Swan, and you have social security numbers."

"Cool, I get a fake ID? That's some Jason Bourne shit, right there!" Matt watched a bit too much TV, if you ask me.

Charlie handed me my card: it was a Washington State driver's license that read: Isabella Marie Swan, born September 13, 1991; brown hair, brown eyes, 5'4" and 110 lbs. It was weird, I suddenly felt ordinary—for the first time in my life.

"You really think this is going to work?" I asked Charlie skeptically.

"At least until I can think of something better," he replied. "Have faith, Bells; I've never let you down before, have I?"

I shook my head and continued to stare at my new ID until our flight was called.

My first plane ride was interesting: it was a red-eye flight (I think that's what Charlie called it) so there weren't too many travelers on board. I was given a coke and a bag of mini pretzels, which I barely picked at; I'm not used to food from a bag or drinks from a can. Charlie was adamant that we eat mostly fresh, organic food at home.

Matt was acting like a four-year-old; he sat at the window, enthralled by the whole experience. "Look," he yelled a bit too loud; some of the other passengers shushed him. "Look at all the lights! That's so cool; I've never seen anything like that before."

Charlie was seated in between us; he leaned over to gaze out the window and looked at his watch. "That must be Denver; we're a little over half-way there now."

We landed at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport at around 5:30 a.m. and Charlie shook me awake. I couldn't remember when I fell asleep; it must have been when Matt was blathering on about how great life was going to be now that we were away from The Agency. I couldn't stop this gnawing feeling in my gut.

We stopped at a place called McDonald's on our way to Forks; Charlie threw two objects wrapped in paper on my lap that I assumed I was supposed to eat. Inside the paper was an oval shaped, brown thing that looked like it had been fried to within an inch of its existence. I threw Charlie a look.

"Just eat, Bells," he said. "I promise to get you better food when we get there."

I was so hungry, I ate these "hash brown" things rather quickly. They tasted like what I imagine cardboard would taste like if it were deep fried and covered in salt.

We got to Forks just before 10 a.m. and Charlie immediately took us to the local hospital where we met his friend, Dr. Dan Greenberg.

"Charlie, how are you?" Dr. Greenberg asked as he shook hands with Charlie.

"Fine, Dan; these are my children, Bella and Matt. Kids, this is Dr. Dan Greenberg."

"Hi," we said in unison, but with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

"Well, I think you kids are going to like it here," Dr. Greenberg said. "It's a small community, but there is a very nice school with some great kids your age; I treat a lot of them here."

Dr. Greenberg handed a set of keys to Charlie, "Here are the keys to the house I found for you; I got you the address, right?"

"Yes, I have it. Thank you so much, Dan, you have no idea how much I owe you."

"My pleasure."

The house was small and cozy, not unlike our house in D.C., and I immediately went up to find my room. I was exhausted and found a room with a bed already in it; I wondered if Charlie had requested a place that was already furnished? I plopped down on the bed and started to rest my eyes; I woke up later that after noon to the sound of Matt jumping on my bed.

"Wake up! Wake up!" He cried as he jumped.

"Are you four?" I asked incredulously.

He stuck his tongue out at me and jumped off the bed, landing with perfect balance, like a cat; sometimes he makes me look like a total klutz.

"Charlie is going to order some pizza; you want mushroom and black olive, right?"

"Yes," I said warily; I thought Charlie said I was getting real food.

"Don't go back to sleep, or you won't sleep tonight," Matt scolded as he closed my door.

I stuck my tongue out at where he had previously been standing and rolled back over; I was exhausted.

**First day of school**

Charlie pretty much just threw us to the sharks.

I was hoping I would have a couple days to get acclimated to my new surroundings, but he insisted we start school right away so we didn't provoke suspicion.

"Now remember, no one knows that you two are special; not even Dr. Greenberg," Charlie reminded us for the umpteenth time. "So, keep a low profile; try to blend in with the other kids, OK?"

"OK," we said.

I looked at Matt as we sat in the back of the car, _Are you ready for this_, I asked telepathically.

_Yup_, he shot back; this is going to be great!

I was still unconvinced. We got to the school and there were throngs of kids walking about the campus; as we pulled up, they stared at us curiously.

_Must be the new kids_, most of them thought.

I closed my eyes in an attempt to shut out there inane inner thoughts. Matt had a huge grin on his face; he looked at me and thought, _we're the new superstars, it seems_. I groaned inwardly.

We went into the office to get our schedules for the day; I started out in English, Matt had History. We said goodbye silently and made our way to our classes.

In English, I met a girl named Jessica who attempted to give me the "low down" on the school. Who to hang out with and what teachers were particularly harsh; I tried hard to ignore her inner comments, which were usually more venomous than the words coming out of her mouth—she was actually a little two-faced; I wonder what her classmates would think if they knew.

She was in my Spanish class next and continued to harangue me with her chatter; she asked once where I was from and when I answered, it seemed to be enough for her. God forbid I bother her with my story.

Matt and I met back up for lunch and I was disappointed in the choices in front of me: more tasteless, processed crap.

"Um, can I just get a salad or something?"

"Sorry, it's cheeseburgers with shoestring fries today," the lunch lady said.

"But, I'm a vegetarian," I said. "Don't you have anything else?"

The lady threw a large, soft pretzel on my tray. "You want cheese with that?"

"No thank you," I said quietly, walking away.

We paid for our food and found a small, secluded table all to ourselves in the corner of the cafeteria. We ate in silence, until I heard the inner comments being directed towards us; they weren't very friendly.

_Stuck up!_

_Too good for the rest of us, huh?_

_Just like the Cullens, can't mingle with the common people._

That last comment stopped me; who are the Cullens? I looked up at Matt,_ have you heard of the Cullens?_

_Heard the name; I guess they're pretty new here, too._

_And we're being compared to them, _I thought.

_Yeah, I've been hearing that._

_Remember what Charlie said, we have to blend in!_

_I don't like these people._

_You were the one who was all gung-ho about coming here! So deal with it! We should sit at one of the other tables; one that has other kids at it._

_Fine! Which one?_

I recognized Jessica sitting with what I assumed were her unfortunate friends.

There.

We got our trays and walked over.

"Hi Jessica." She looked up at me.

"Oh, hi, Bella right?"

"Yeah, can me and my brother sit here?"

All the girls looked up at Matt and beamed; I have to admit, if he weren't my brother I'd think he was cute. He looks like that one actor...what's his name?...Ben Affleck or something.

"Sure," Jessica said.

We sat and tried to look comfortable sitting with these people. It's hard to be around people when you can read their minds, and they don't have a clue you're doing it; you feel guilty in a way.

I decided to distract myself by engaging in conversation.

"So, what's fun to do in Forks?" I said, trying to sound like an average teenager.

"Not much," Jessica said as all the Forks kids laughed. "We usually get out of town on the weekends."

"Where do you go?" Matt asked.

Jessica looked at him with starry eyes, "Ummm, anywhere, really. Port Angeles, Olympia, sometimes even Seattle."

"So, where are you two from again?" This girl's name was Lauren, and she didn't seem to like me at all.

"D.C.," Matt answered.

"Wow," she said, though she didn't really sound impressed. "So, this must seem like such a little town to you two."

"It's nice," I said. "It's kind of cool to be away from the bigger cities, it's quiet; and it's beautiful."

Lauren rolled her eyes and thought, _whatever, so fake!_

I wanted to respond but Matt caught me, _blend in, remember?_

"So, have you guys lived here all your lives?" I asked.

"Most of us," Jessica said. "Except the Cullens, they moved here two years ago."

"Who are they?" Matt asked.

Jessica pointed to a table where sat five of the best looking people I had ever seen in my life. Three boys, two girls; and all looked like they belonged in a fashion magazine.

"They're all related?" Matt asked.

"No adopted," Jessica said. "Well, at least the Cullens are; that's Alice, the short girl, Emmett, the huge one and Edward, the one with the freaky, bronze hair."

_The gorgeous one_, she said inwardly.

In fact, every girl at this table seemed to swoon at the mention of Edward Cullen's name; and I could see why: bronze hair, golden eyes, perfect skin, and this incredible jaw line. He was perfect.

I was interrupted when Jessica's venomous thoughts kicked back in: _look at her stare at him, like she actually has a shot!_ I'm starting to like this girl less and less.

"The other two are Jasper and Rosalie Hale, and they are related," she continued. "They were adopted by Mrs. Cullen; they're here niece and nephew, I think."

"So, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen don't have kids of their own?" Matt asked.

"No, just adopted," Jessica said.

Matt and I thought the exact same thing at the exact same time, _good! People like us!_

_Well, sort of,_ Matt laughed inwardly.

I looked up to see Edward Cullen staring at me with strange intensity. I tried to decipher what he was thinking, but came up short. I tried harder, but could only hear the hundred or so voices around me—nothing from the Cullen table.

_Can you hear anything from the Cullens? _I asked Matt.

He sat rigid for a moment, concentrating. _No, that's weird._

_Maybe there are just too many voices in here, it is crowded._

_Maybe._

_I'll try walking by their table._

_Way to be inconspicuous._

I ignored him and stood up; there was a trash can near their table, so I decided to take this disgusting stuff they called food and drop it in. As I approached their table, I slowed down and tilted my head slightly in their direction—still nothing. So weird.

I dumped the food and walked back to Matt.

_Nope, nothing._

_That Edward guy was staring at you the whole time._

I started to blush, _really?_

He smirked and finished the last of his burger.

_How can you eat that?_

_Tastes good, actually. Not like that veggie crap you eat._

I resisted the urge to stick out my tongue and grabbed my bag. It was time for my science class. That was such a generic term: science class; was it a physics class? Or Chemistry? Or just all around science? It sounded odd to me.

I entered the room and handed the piece of paper in my grasp to the teacher, Mr. Banner. He handed me a book and told me to sit in the only open chair: next to Edward Cullen. I tried to keep my excitement at bay—maybe I'll be able to hear what he thinks of me, and why he was staring. But, what if I don't want to know? What if he was staring because he thought I was weird or ugly or something? I took my seat next to him and turned slowly.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan," I stuck out my hand for him to shake and finally met his eyes; he looked like he wanted to choke the life out of me.

I drew my hand back and glared back at him; what was wrong with this guy?

My attention was finally called to the front of the room as the teacher started to speak. The class was going over molecular theory; they haven't learned this yet? I opened the book to read what the teacher was going over, and it was all written like it was designed for children. Are these students really this far behind?

I suddenly felt eyes burning holes in the side of my face; Edward Cullen was giving me a murderous glare again. I tossed my hair over my left shoulder and tried to ignore him—he went completely rigid when I did this. Did my hair smell or something? I sniffed it: strawberries, the scent of my shampoo. Does he not like strawberries? Maybe he's allergic or something?

I continued to ponder why Edward Cullen was being so weird when the bell rang and he launched himself out the door with amazing speed; like he couldn't wait to get away from me. I sat staring, but my gaze to the door was broken by a tall, blond boy standing next to me.

"Hi, I'm Mike," he said.

_Wow, she's even cuter up close_, he thought.

I tried not to blush at his inner thoughts as I stood up, "I'm Bella."

"I know, everybody knows who you are by now," he said.

"Really?" I said warily.

"Yeah; so, can I walk you to your next class?"

"Umm, OK; I have gym."

"Me too; wow, cool coincidence, huh?"

"Yeah, cool..."

As we walked to the gymnasium, he chattered on about himself: Mike Newton, junior at Forks (as if I didn't know that already), His parents own a sporting goods store where he works and he likes to go camping...a lot.

"So, you're from D.C., right?"

"Yeah." Word gets around fast here.

"What's that like?"

"Not much different from here, I guess; just bigger."

"And probably with more sunlight, right?"

"A bit."

I stood at the door to the girl's locker room and stared.

"You going in?" Mike asked.

"I guess," I said; I honestly didn't know what I was supposed to do.

I entered the room to find the other girls standing around in various stages of undress, it made me a little uncomfortable. A lady came up to me, "Are you Isabella Swan?"

"Yeah, but people call me Bella," that sounded so ordinary.

"OK Bella; well I'm Ms. Kiel, and I have these for you," she handed me some clothing—a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. "You don't have to wear these today since it's your first day; but you'll be expected to dress out tomorrow. And you'll need to have proper footwear, as well."

I looked down to my feet, I was wearing boots; I assumed this was not what she meant when she said proper footwear. I sat at one end of the gym and watched students play badminton. Mike Newton was particularly good, and I could tell he was one of the more popular boys at the school; everyone seemed to know and like him.

Matt was waiting for me outside of the gym after school: _dad called me; he wants us to head over to the hospital._

_Why?_

_Said he wanted us to meet some of his colleagues._

OK.

We walked down to the hospital, it was only two miles away, and asked for Charlie at the front desk.

"Dr. Swan?" The nurse asked into the phone. "You're Children are here."

She told us to go back to his office down the hall, we followed the path and found Charlie in a small room with Dr. Greenberg and a very young, very handsome blond doctor.

"Kids, come in!" He said happily. "You remember Dr. Greenberg?"

We said hi, and he nodded back.

"And this is Dr. Carlisle Cullen," he said, motioning to the blond doctor. "His children go to Forks, too."

Edward's adoptive father; wow, how is this man old enough to be a doctor or able to adopt kids? He looks about 25!

"Hello," he said in a smooth, British accent. "How was your first day of school?"

"Fine," we both said.

"Did you meet any of the Cullen kids," Charlie asked. "There are...what, Carlisle...four or five of them there."

"Five," Dr. Cullen said.

"Ummm, yeah," I said as Matt gave me a quick glance as if I had been withholding information. "Edward's in my science class."

"I hope he was nice," Dr. Cullen said.

_Ha_, I thought to myself, "Umm, yeah; just a little quiet, though."

"Yes, Edward's always been quiet."

_Really_, I thought, _has he always been psychotic as well?_

Matt choked back a laugh, masking it as a cough; I smirked at him, I'll tell you later, I promise.

Charlie looked at us suspiciously, he knew we were communicating.

"So, I'll be done here in a few kids," Charlie began. "Do you two want to wait in the lobby for a bit?"

"Sure," we said.

"Nice to meet you," I said to Dr. Cullen.

"Yeah," Matt agreed.

We sat in the lobby and Matt immediately inundated me with questions.

_So, what did Edward Cullen do to make you think he's a psycho?_

_He kept glaring at me for no reason. And not like he was in the lunchroom; it was a death glare, like I had done something to offend him._

_Well, maybe you did; these small town people are weird, maybe you accidentally insulted him or something._

_No, I just sat next to him in science, that was it; and he's already decided to hate me._

_Oh come on! People don't hate Bella! You're too cute, and nice and perfect!"_

_Well, Edward Cullen doesn't seem to think so._

As I thought this, Edward walked through the hospital lobby and noticed me and Matt sitting there. He gave me the same glare as before and ran towards the hallway we had just come back from.

_See? He hates me!_

Later that night, we sat around the dinner table with Charlie.

"OK, so what did you both really think of public school?" Charlie asked over his food.

Matt and I exchanged wearied glances briefly, but Charlie caught them. "That good, huh?"

Matt nodded for me to go first, "Well, the students are all kind of weird, the curriculum seems like it was designed for imbeciles and..." I trailed off.

"I had a good day, more or less," Matt grinned. "These Forks girls seem to like me; and I kicked some pretty impressive butt in gym class. Well, except with that Emmett Cullen! Damn, that kid is huge!"

"They made you participate in P.E.?" I asked. "They didn't make me."

"Pshhh," he responded—he's really getting into this regular teenager thing. "Like I was going to sit out when I could waste all of those wusses!"

I rolled my eyes and chomped on a carrot.

"So, what about Edward Cullen?" Charlie asked me. "Something tells me you didn't tell Carlisle the truth about how you felt about him."

I gulped some water down quickly, and then slowly looked up at Charlie, "He just acted weird is all; he glared at me like he hated me."

"What do you mean? Did you say something to him?"

"Just 'hi, I'm Bella,'" I said.

"So clearly, that's enough to make an enemy for life around here," Matt said.

"Now, you two, it was probably just a misunderstanding," Charlie said. "You'll see; tomorrow at school, I'll bet Edward will be a lot different."

Charlie was almost right; that is, if he meant "different" as in "not there."

Edward didn't show up the next day, or the day after; actually, he was gone for the rest of the week. But I was sort of relieved; I didn't need to sit and wonder if this weird boy was going to suddenly decide to act on his blind hatred for me and attack.

Not that I feared for my life, but we're trying to keep a low profile here; if Edward Cullen were suddenly flying through the air because I just happened to mentally throw him against a wall, people will talk.

Though, people talk around here, anyway. They can't seem to help themselves.

I found out that Jessica, the two-face, has a big crush on Mike, the blond guy, and I am somehow stuck in the middle. Why did I have to be so appealing to the guy Jessica likes? There are over 100 other girls here, I'm not particularly special; at least, not as far as any of these kids know. Jessica was hiding her resentment well, on the outside. Internally, however, she cursed me whenever I was within a 10 foot radius of her. I was starting to get irritated.

_Don't let her get to you_, Matt consoled me, _she's jealous._

_She shouldn't be, I don't like Mike; not like that, anyway._

_Why not? He seems nice...or are you thinking about certain boys who give you evil looks?_

_Shut up!_

_Hey, it's not my fault I can read your thoughts...and your dreams._

_You've been eavesdropping on my dreams? I thought we agreed we wouldn't do that to each other._

_I had to know, you're acting all weird since he hasn't been at school. _

_I don't like him either; why would I like someone who hates me?_

_Because you secretly thinks he doesn't; that he's just intrigued by you._

_Whatever._

_Spoken like a true, teenage girl._

I huffed away angrily; we were sitting in the cafeteria and I stomped off to the science lab early.

**So, I think that's a good jumping off point. What do you all think?**

**I know some parts are far fetched, but this IS a fantasy, after all…**


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the response so far

**Thanks for the response so far! That first part was really fun to write, and I'm looking forward to writing this next one. And I'm super psyched today because I got some killer new heels – one pair are those Carlos Santana brand (Oye como va, indeed!), and a really awesome blue dress. **

**Plus, I just pre-ordered **_**Breaking Dawn**_** at Borders! One month now, people!**

**BPOV**

I stumbled into the science lab to find Edward seated at our table; I lowered my head before I walked over and took my seat. We sat there in awkward silence. As I was about to ask him about his behavior last week when two of our classmates walked through the door, talking loudly. The looked over in our direction and turned back to each other, giggling maniacally.

More of the class filtered in and I realized I had lost my chance to bring up the subject of his death glare. And then it hit me – he wasn't giving me the glare today. He was just as quiet as before, but not in an angry way.

I turned to him to find his looking at me curiously with those golden eyes and it occurred to me, last Monday, they were black up close. Or, was that just in my head?

Mr. Banner walked in and brought the class to order; he described the day's assignment – studying mitosis – and handed out slides for us to examine. When he set our slides on the table, Edward and I reached for them at the same time.

"Sorry," I murmured.

"No problem," he replied. "I'm Edward Cullen, by the way."

"I know, your dad works with mine at the hospital; I met him last week," I said.

"Oh, I was wondering why you and your brother were there," he laughed; he was surprisingly pleasant.

"So, when did Dr. Cullen adopt you?"

"Quite a few years ago," he said. "My parents died when I was young and Carlisle took me in. What about you? You're adopted, right?"

"Yes, my dad adopted me and Matt when we were four," I said.

"Did your parents pass away?"

"No, they just gave us up," I said. "They were very young; they didn't feel they could take care of children."

Mr. Banner suddenly coughed lightly up at the front of the room to get our attention. I ducked my head in embarrassment and put the first slide up on the microscope; I flipped adjusted the scope to the right objective.

"Prophase," I said, writing it on the paper Mr. Banner provided.

"Can I look?" Edward asked.

I wanted to protest or at least give him a withering stare. He was questioning me? Is he serious? This is child's play!  
He looked in the eyepiece and after a moment said, "Yes, prophase."

Of course! I was a little insulted, but I decided to let it go. I put the next slide on the tray and passed it to Edward, let's see if he gets this one! His hand brushed mine and sent a current running up my arm. We looked at each other in shock for a moment before he quickly looked down to continue the assignment.

"Anaphase," he said; he was about to write it down when I asked, "May I?"

He passed the microscope to me and I observed his slide; yes, Anaphase. OK, he's more intelligent than I thought. I put the next slide on and looked through the eyepiece, "Interphase."

I turned the microscope towards him so he could look, but wrote my answer down anyway. Even if he disagreed, he'd be wrong.

"Interphase," he agreed.

I put the fourth slide on myself, no need to risk that electric shock again, and he gazed at it through the scope briefly before murmuring "Telophase," and passing the instrument back to me. He was right again.

We wrapped up the last phase and sat there silently. Everybody else was still struggling, and I couldn't help but feel a little smug – though, I hid it well.

Mr. Banner noticed our inaction and came to check our paper; he appraised it passively and then looked at us sternly.

"Miss Swan? You didn't let Mr. Cullen complete the whole assignment, did you?"

I was about to get defensive when Edward jumped in, "Actually, she identified most of the phases, Mr. Banner."

The teacher looked over his glasses at us before setting the paper down and walking back to his desk. I turned towards Edward and he was looking at me expectantly; he didn't think I was going to get on my knees and thank him for that, did he?

I was trying, in vain, to try and get inside of his head again when he interrupted me.

"So, do you miss D.C.?"

"Yes," I said, trying to loosen up my mood. "I mean, I didn't have a lot of friends, but it was my home."

"Why did your family come here?" He was gazing at me with intense curiosity; I was impressed. He was the first person to show genuine interest in my background.

"My dad got a new job," I said, hoping he wouldn't probe too deep; I wasn't sure if I could keep my mouth shut if he pressed.

"What did he do in D.C.?"

"Worked for a hospital," I said; at least, that's what Charlie told us to tell people.

"General practitioner?"

"Neurologist," I said. "But, he wants to get back into a G.P. practice here; he missed it."

"That's great," he said.

"Carlisle's the chief of medicine, right?"

"Yes, I know he's young, but he's brilliant," Edward said. "He makes me feel a little inadequate."

"People like that make everyone feel inadequate," I laughed.

"True," he replied.

Just then, the bell rung; and Edward was up and out the door with as much speed as the last time. And, like every day, Mike Newton was at my side.

"I hated that lab; I had to actually cheat to get any of the answers," he said, low enough so Mr. Banner wouldn't hear.

"It wasn't so bad," I replied, trying to not sound too haughty.

"You had Cullen as a partner; he's the smartest guy in the class."

OK, why does everyone assume it was all Edward? This was starting to get on my nerves; but I decided to let it drop.

Mike walked me to P.E., as usual, and was on my team during volleyball. I'd never really participated in a team sport like this before, but caught on fairly well. And, I still managed to not look like I had any enhanced abilities; I even ducked out of the way a few times when I could have easily made the shot, just for effect. I was very proud of myself when I met up with Matt after school was over.

_Good day?_

_Yep! You?_

_Sure, that Lauren girl asked me to the Girl's Choice dance._

_What did you say?_

_I said I had to think about it._

I suppressed a giggle:_ Very_ _nice!_

We started out toward home and I noticed Edward Cullen leaning against his silver car – I looked at the emblem on the back, it read Volvo – and looking at me with that same curious gaze.

_Don't stare._

_I'm not staring! He's staring at me!_

Matt looked over towards Edward.

You're right; maybe I should go over there and straighten him out.

_What?_

_Isn't that what a brother is supposed to do? Defend his sister's honor or something? _

I gave him a strange look and he dropped the subject. We made our way home and took all of 30 seconds finishing our homework.

The next day, started off as any other; Charlie dropped us off as usual before heading to work. As I stepped out of the car, the travel mug containing my tea fell on the ground and rolled towards a beat-up, red truck.

I was about to simply bring it back to my hand telekinetically, but remembered that would raise suspicion. I walked to the truck and picked up the mug; I saw Edward Cullen watching me curiously again as I retrieved my property. As I stood, I heard a voice yell, "Hey Bella!" It was Mike; I turned to wave at him and saw his face turn from friendly to scared in a matter of seconds.

I spun around when I heard the screech of tires and people's inner voices screaming, "That van is going to hit Bella!!"

I was about to slow the van with my mind – I couldn't just stop it in mid-skid; it would look too obvious – when I felt myself being thrown against the pavement. My body was being covered by someone and the van was still coming; Edward hovered above me and held out his hand like he was going to stop it with his own power – it was almost cute, in a chivalrous kind of way.

I put all of my concentration on the van and it slid to stop just inches away from Edward's hand. I'm good, but I was not quite good enough to make it stop closer to his hand – even if it would have been a nice gesture, like he really stopped it himself.

Edward looked at the van in wonder as people started to crowd around us. He looked at me with a questioning look on his face; but I had some questions of my own.

The crowd started to pull us up and ask a barrage of questions:

"Are you OK?"

"God, you're so lucky that van just missed you?"

"Is Tyler OK?"

"Get him out of there?"

Charlie was there at my side; he feigned worry in my state, but I knew he was going to give me a talking to later on. I shouldn't have been so careless as to let that van get so close to me and Edward; and I really shouldn't have let my guard down so much that I was caught in this situation to begin with.

"Bella? Are you OK, honey?"

"I'm fine dad, really."

"I want you to come to the hospital for observation, OK; just in case."

I shot him a glare, but his hard look told me there would be no way around going. As if on cue, the ambulance pulled up; EMT's were running about, making sure Edward, Tyler and I were OK.

"Take her in the ambulance please, John," Charlie said to one of the EMT's.

"OK, Dr. Swan," John said, picking me up and helping me into the truck. I decided to just go along with all the nonsense.

"In fact, let's get all three of them to the hospital; I don't want to take any chances."

"I'm fine, Dr. Swan," Edward protested. "Really, just make sure Bella and Tyler are well."

"I don't think so, son," Charlie said. "You're father will never forgive me if I don't make sure you are 100 percent."

"I'm sure he'll be fine if you leave me here," Edward said.

"Just get in the ambulance," I yelled from my spot on a bench.

John was taking my blood pressure and asking me questions to determine if I had a concussion. He smiled at me and brushed his hand across my shoulder as he took the strap off of my arm – I don't think it was an accident.

Edward seemed to notice this, too, and jumped in the truck to sit next to me. He gave John a strange look – almost as though he was jealous.

We stared at each other as Tyler got in the truck and the doors were closed; the ambulance lurched to life and carried us to the hospital. The ride was only about 5 minutes, but it felt like an hour; at least it did when I was losing myself in this sea of gold before me.

At the hospital, the EMT's handed us over to Charlie's colleagues who administered the same treatment that the emergency team already performed on us. I can't remember the last time I had my blood pressure checked four times in a row. In fact, I don't think that's ever happened.

Things finally settled down before I was able to sit in my hospital bed and ponder a few things: How was Edward able to be at my side so quickly? He was across the parking lot from me! And what made him think he could stop the van with his hand? Was it just adrenaline, or was there something else? Had he perhaps done something like that before?

Just as I was about to get up and find Edward for some answers, Dr. Cullen and Charlie walked into my room.

"How are you feeling, Bella?" Dr. Cullen asked.

"Fine; I think I bumped my head, but other than that, I'm OK," I said, trying to convince Charlie as much as Dr. Cullen.

Carlisle stepped over to me and checked the back of my head, "Well, there's no bump there yet, but you may have a pretty nice goose egg before the day is over. Is your vision OK? No concussion or anything?"

"Nope, I'm good, my vision's good, everything is good," I said.

Dr. Cullen smiled at me, "You're quite the lucky girl, aren't you? That van stopped just in time, I hear."

Charlie shot me a dark look and I returned it, "Well, I'm lucky Edward was there, really."

"Oh," Dr. Cullen said, a little uneasily. "Yes, I suppose so."

It was strange; I couldn't hear Dr. Cullen's thoughts either.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"Edward? He's in the waiting room," Dr. Cullen said. "Did you want to speak with him?"

"Yes, actually…I need to thank him."

"Well, I'll go fetch him, then."

Dr. Cullen left the room as Charlie started in on his warning tone, "Bella? What are you going to talk to Edward about?"

"I'm going to thank him, Dad," I said. "He thinks he saved me, so I'm going to make sure he continues to think that."

Charlie seemed convinced with this as he left the room; moments later, Edward entered.

"How are you?" Ah! If I have to answer that question one more time today, I'm going to scream!

"I'm fine," I said. "How about you?"

"Fine, I really didn't need to be dragged all the way out here."

"Neither did I."

"Well, you hit your head rather hard," He countered. "They needed to make sure you didn't have a concussion."

I rolled my eyes; we were both silent for a moment before I decided to just dive in, "Why did you do that?"

"What?" He looked up puzzled.

"After you threw me on the ground, you stuck your hand out like you were trying to stop the van; why?"

"Reaction, I guess," he said. "Something in my brain just told me to try and stop it; even though I knew, subconsciously, that it was impossible."

Part of me wanted to believe this, but a bigger part knew it was a lie. I'd try to catch him a different way.

"OK, so how did you move so fast?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were across the parking lot from me when the van started to skid; and then, suddenly, you were right at my side."

"Don't be ridiculous, Bella! I was next to you the whole time!"

There it was – the ultimate lie!

"No you weren't, you were about 200 years away! How do you explain that?"

"You're being absurd! You must have hit your head harder than you're letting on! I was right next to you; I saw your thermos rolling to the truck and I was going to help you fetch it when the van started coming towards us!"

Liar!! I couldn't believe I was hearing this! He wasn't just lying; he was trying to convince me I had gone crazy! Oh, he must be hiding something big! I dropped the subject; but still tried to give him the impression that I was on to him.

"Fine," I said. "Maybe I was wrong."

I gave him my best suspicious glare and he sighed and turned to the door.

"See you at school tomorrow!" I yelled before he exited.

I'm going to figure you out, Edward Cullen!

The next few weeks at school were interesting. Edward and I sat next to each other in science and generally ignored each other. I was quietly contemplating how I was going to get him to let his secret slip. It didn't help that Mike Newton took up a near permanent residence on the edge of our table and made a show of chatting with me freely while completely ignoring Edward.

I really do like Mike, but he's becoming a bit of a nuisance. I usually tried to ignore his thoughts – which generally revolved around him finding a way to ask me on a date whenever he's in my presence – but lately, he's been thinking of a specific event: the dance.

In a few weeks, the school would be holding a dance; and the premise of the dance was that the girls asked the boys to go – I assumed that this was supposed to be backward in some way. And Mike had been continuously dreaming up ways to get me to ask him; but he usually couldn't work up the nerve to follow through with any of his plans.

To make matters worse, Jessica was determined to ask Mike herself; and she was worried I was going to get to him first. One day, she finally asked me, in a round about way, if I was going to ask Mike to go; she called me after dinner.

"So, have you asked anyone to the dance yet?" she inquired after we went through the typical phone formalities.

"No," I replied. "I don't really know anyone well enough yet."

"But, you've been here for, like, months now!"

"Still, I'm just going to sit this one out," I said. "I'll catch the next dance, I think."

"OK, well, I was thinking of asking Mike; what do you think?"

"Go for it," I said with faux enthusiasm.

"Really, because I thought you were going to ask him."

"Why would you think that?"

"You do like him, right?"

"Not like that," I said. "We're just friends."

"So, you won't feel weird if I asked him?"

"Not at all," I said.

"Cool," she tried to remain nonchalant, but inside Jessica was cheering.

At lunch the next day, Jessica and Mike seemed less than their jubilant selves. I concentrated on Jessica and found out that he had told her he would "think about it." Had he been hanging out with Matt recently? My brother picked up on the situation around us.

_Quite the pickle you're in, huh?_

_Stifle!_

_Sure, just let him down easy, OK?_

I rolled my eyes and concentrated on Mike; he kept on thinking to himself how he was going to just ask me to ask him in class. Ugh! I was really dreading going to science today!

I sat down next to my silent partner and tried to in some way fend off the inevitable. I prayed that Mike would lose his nerve again; that he would just sit there and decide he should just go with the girl who asked him. I had no such luck.

"Hey," Mike greeted, taking his place on the table next to me.

"Hi Mike, how are you?"

"Good, real good; you?"

"I'm fine," this conversation was about 3.5 seconds away from being too awkward for words.

_Just ask her! ASK HER!! _He yelled to himself.

It was strange, but I swore I could feel Edward chuckling softly to himself beside me.

"So," he began, rubbing his arm nervously. "Jessica asked me to the dance."

"Great," I said. "You two will have fun together."

"Ummm, I told her I'd have to think about it."

I know that, you half-wit! I was just trying to give you the opportunity to redeem yourself!

"Why did you do that?" I feigned ignorance.

"Well, I was kind of hoping you'd ask me."

Dammit! "Um, I'm really flattered you thought of me, Mike; but I wasn't planning on going to the dance with anyone."

"Why not?"

"I just don't feel comfortable enough to ask anyone, yet."

"Oh," he looked really sad; I couldn't understand why this boy liked me so much. His next thought made me want to reach up and slap him.

_I bet she just wants to ask Cullen! Or, maybe she did and he turned her down and she's just being a moody bitch!_

I reigned in my urge to kill and turned back to the front of the class as Mr. Banner walked in; Mike slumped his way back to his seat. Edward was staring at me with that curious look again; I glared back with as much intensity as I could muster.

The class buzzed by with the same monotonous mediocrity as usual, and it wasn't long before the bell released me from the torture of listening to my fellow students struggle to grasp these simple concepts we've been studying.

I packed my books back into my bag when Edward's soft, musical voice interrupted me.

"Bella?"

I smiled to myself before I lifted my head to meet his eyes.

"Yes? Are we speaking again?"

He frowned at me, "look, I'm sorry I've been so rude. But, it's better this way."

"What way? The way that causes you to act as though I don't exist? Why is it better that way?"

He sighed in frustration, "Because, I'm not the type of person you want to get involved with; that's why."

I appraised him skeptically, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"What? No!"

"Do you think I'm weird or ugly or just some kind of loser that you just don't want to associate with?"

"Bella, no! This isn't about you, it's about me!"

"Really? Because when I look at you, I see an intelligent, well-spoken and nice guy – when you're not being rude to me. So, why wouldn't I want to get involved with you? Seems to me that you wouldn't want to be involved with someone like me!"

"Bella! That's absurd! You are also an intelligent, well-spoken and nice person. I'm just not how I seem…I'm not all of those things you said."

I looked at him incredulously, "Look, if you want me to leave you alone, just say so! Don't make up ridiculous excuses!"

I turned to leave the room before he had a chance to counter my comment.

**OK, I'm moving a little fast here! So the next few chapters will try and slow it down a bit and introduce characters like Jacob and Angela.**


	3. Chapter 3

I'm not getting a groundswell of response to this story, but I continue undeterred I'm not getting a groundswell of response to this story, but I continue undeterred!

I had almost hoped the whole turning Mike down thing would have caused him to turn his attentions elsewhere, but he still seemed as devoted as ever. He moped for a few days, but returned to sit on my side of the table and chat with me, oblivious to the fact that I wasn't really paying much attention – at least, not to the words coming out of his mouth. I have come to realize with these Forks High School kids, it's more about what they're thinking than what they're saying.

I already knew Mike was plotting a big trip to some place called La Push on an upcoming weekend. And, I also knew he would be requesting my presence at said event. I really wanted to decline, but I had to admit I was intrigued when I found out that La Push is a Native American reservation. Plus, Matt had been mentally nagging me even before Mike made the invitation.

Come on, Bells! This will be fun! Matt pleaded in the cafeteria one day. And it helps us fit in if we hang out with other students outside of school, right?

_True; OK, I'll go; but if it ends up being boring, I'm out of there! Got it?_

_Fair enough!_

It was only a few moments after Matt and I had this conversation that Mike made his move. In Mr. Banner's class, he sat on the table and turned to me with great determination.

"Hey, you don't have any plans for the weekend after next, do you?" His glance flickered briefly to Edward as though he thought I wouldn't catch it.

"None...why?" I hated this whole farce of pretending I didn't know what people were thinking; I felt like a phony.

"Some of us are going to La Push, it's about 12 miles outside of Forks, and we're going to hang out on the beach and what-not."

"Sounds like fun," I said, even though I wasn't sure how one hung out on a beach when the weather was constantly rainy.

"Cool, so you'll come? Your brother said he is." Of course he did.

"Yeah, count me in," I said.

_Wait! What if she wants to invite Cullen? I should say it's private or something; think of something Newton._

As I listened to Mike's internal battle, I decided to have a little fun with him. I turned to Edward who sat there as though there was no conversation going on between me and Mike.

"Do you want to come, Edward?"

_NO!!_ Mike screamed at me with his mind; I had to try hard not to laugh.

"Sorry, I'm busy," Edward said with great disinterest.

Sure you are, I thought, you're just trying to avoid me and my questions.

"That's too bad," Mike said, unable to mask his relief. "But, you'll be there, right Bella?"

"Yes, I will," I replied, trying to not sound impatient.

"Great, see ya later!" He walked away and I turned to find Edward staring at me. I defiantly stared back until Mr. Banner demanded my attention to answer a question.

After school, I walked to my usual meeting place with Matt to find him absent; off in the distance, Edward stood against his car and motioned for me to come near. I looked around to make sure he actually was motioning to me and not someone near me – but, I was standing by myself.

I proceeded with caution; when I reached him he just stood there and smiled.

"So, did you need something? I'm waiting for my brother," I said impatiently.

"No you're not; I caught him as we were coming out of our last classes and told him I would give you a ride home."

Stupid traitor Matthew!!

"Why? I thought you didn't want anything to do with me."

He gave me an exasperated look and shock his head, "Ridiculous girl," he mumbled as he led he to the passenger side and let me in the car. He was in the driver's seat in a split second and we were off. His stereo emitted the sounds of "Clair de Lune" by Debussy. I closed my eyes and let the music wash over me; a small smile pulled at the corner of my lips.

"I take it you like this?" Edward's voice lifted gracefully over the music.

"I love Debussy…not as much as Ravel, but he is brilliant."

"You like classical music?"

"Yes," I opened one eye and looked to his amused face. "Is that strange?"

"A bit," he replied. "Not too many teenagers listen to orchestral music."

Damn, just when I thought I was blending into the crowd.

"Well, I suppose I'm not like most teenagers."

"I gathered that the first time I spoke to you," he chuckled. Was he catching on to me? I felt a small spark of panic in my chest.

"Really? Am I that obvious?"

"Yes," he said, he glanced in my direction briefly. "You look worried; I mean all of this as a compliment, by the way. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not too fond of the 'typical teenagers' at our school. They mostly just get on my nerves."

I couldn't contain my smile as I turned my face to him, "You hide it well; though, you and your siblings aren't the most sociable people. I kind of admire that; sometimes I wish Matt wasn't so intent on being one of these kids. He's just happy we're at a normal high school."

"You didn't go to a normal school before?" God! Why can't I just shut up?

"Uh, no; we were home schooled," I spat out, hoping he wouldn't press further.

"But, I thought Charlie was working at a hospital in D.C.; how did he have time to home school you?"

"Tutor," I replied. "We had someone come by and teach us."

"What was that like?"

"I liked it well enough," I said. "Matt hated it; he used to beg Dad to let us go to a real school."

"Why wouldn't he? Let you go to a regular high school, I mean."

"He didn't feel we would get a good education," I was really getting caught up in this particular story.

"So, why send you to a regular high school here?"

"There weren't any tutors up to Dad's standards; so he said we should just try our hand at high school."

"And, you don't like it?"

"It's just not what I expected," I said. "And I was surprised to find that most of the students weren't up to speed on the most basic of curriculum."

I shot a glance at Edward, "Well, except you, that is."

"It helps when your father's a doctor," he shot back with a smile.

"I suppose so."

I hadn't noticed we were parked in front of the house; I could feel Matt's eyes burning holes into me from the front window.

_Nice Bells, I think you have Romeo eating out of your palm now._

_You don't know what you're talking about; we're just friends._

_Sure; and we're just normal teenagers, right?_

I glared in Matt's direction, and I could feel Edward staring at the back of my head.

"Looking at something?"

"My brother's watching us from the house," I said.

"Wow, you have good eyes," he replied in a slightly suspicious tone.

"Yes…well, I should go," I said reaching for the door handle.

"You know, I've been wondering something," Edward said as I stepped out of the car. "How is it that Tyler's van just happened to stop just inches away from us? I mean, I'm no physics expert, but I would have thought the speed at which the van was traveling on the ice would have propelled it straight into the truck behind us. Weird, isn't it?"

"Well, it's like you said," I replied. "You're no physics expert."

I slammed the door and turned quickly towards the house, not looking back as I heard the Volvo's tires screech out of site. Matt met me at the door.

_Nice!  
_

I kept all comments to myself as I ran up to my room. All this time I had been trying to figure Edward out, and it turned out, he had been trying to do the same to me. And it made me realize what I hypocrite I was being; prying into his life, trying to get information out of him – and the whole time, I have a big secret that I'm trying to keep under wraps.

I decided I'd just try and give it a rest; it wasn't fair to keep pestering Edward when all I wanted was to be left alone, too.

Charlie was ecstatic that Matt and I were heading to La Push with our classmates.

"You two are really trying to make an effort to fit in, aren't you?" He beamed.

"Yep," Matt said, winking at me; I just rolled my eyes.

We were sitting at the dinner table the night before the trip, and Charlie was in rare form. I guess he had had a good day at work.

"That's great! How many kids are going?"

"I don't know," Matt said. "A little over 10?"

I kept quiet; I was still a little iffy on the whole going out into the woods thing – or beach, as it were – I'm more the urban type.

Charlie dropped us off the next day at Newton's Olympic Outfitters, the store Mike's parents own. All of the kids were dressed for the impending rain – boots and sweaters, with umbrellas, just in case. Oh yes, this should be a great day at the beach.

Jessica and Lauren stood by as Mike walked over to us; I received dirty looks from the two girls – though, for different reasons.

"Hey you two; you made it!" He called.

"Wouldn't miss it," I said half-heartedly.

"We're just waiting on a few people," he continued. "Lee's mom is bringing her mini-van, but you two probably want to ride with me, right?"

We both looked to Mike's suburban; did we really want to put our lives in the hands of Mike Newton? We decided to risk it, and walked towards the car with Mike.

"Do you want to sit up front with me, Bella?" Mike asked.

Jessica's look went from dirty, to down right murderous.

"Um, what about Matt? Hey, how about we all sit about here? There is room," I suggested.

Mike looked a little put out, but relented. "Sure, sounds good."

Everybody piled in; I had to sit in between Mike and Matt – being at least 50 pounds lighter than either one of them – but I made sure to favor Matt's side for Jessica's sake. I didn't necessarily want her to like me; but it would be nice if she could not hate me.

After we arrived, the males in the group decided to build a fire; there was something primal – or was it primeval? – about the whole process of men building a fire. I sat on a long next to Jessica as the boys got the branches and kindling they would need to get a good, strong flame going.

Soon, some of the kids grew restless; a hike had been decided through the beautiful, green forest. I just couldn't pass up the chance. We walked the path that led to another shore surrounded by small pools that the kids wandered around. I stood in awe of everything; this place was really beautiful.

Once the boys grew hungry, we made our way back to the others at the bonfire. But, the numbers had increased.

A group of teenagers stood around the stragglers; we were introduced to some of the young men from La Push. One boy in particular looked at me with great interest.

_She's cuter than I thought she'd be._

I ignored his thoughts and sat with Angela, a girl from my classes, as Mike passed me a diet soda and offered me a sandwich.

"I'm good, thanks," I said, not taking the offering.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"I'm a vegetarian," I said.

"Oh," he said, thinking. "Um, how about some chips or something?"

He offered me a bag filled with greasy potato chips. I tried not to grimace at the thought of eating those.

"No thanks, I'll eat later."

He shrugged and took a handful out of the bag. I drank the soda and stared into the fire; the driftwood made the flames flicker a brilliant blue color as they reached up towards the sky.

When the others decided they were bored again; most started to scatter to either the tide pools, or the local store. I continued to sit and stare at the fire.

Suddenly, the boy who had been staring at me earlier was sitting in the space once occupied by Angela.

"Bella, right? Bella Swan?" As if I could forget her name.

"Yes," I said turning to look at him curiously. "And your name is Jacob, right?"

"Yeah, Jacob Black," he said. "I actually met your dad, Dr. Swan, the other day."

So that's how he knows me.

"Really? Why were you at the hospital?"

"It was a house call; my dad is in a wheel chair and doesn't leave the house often, so he calls for a doctor to come out and give him his yearly physical."

"And my dad answered the call, huh?" I smiled. I think Charlie's really starting to like this rural doctor bit.

"Yeah, he's really cool," he said. "And he mentioned he just moved to Forks with his kids from Washington D.C."

"That we did," I said.

"Do you like it?"

"Parts of it; I certainly like it out here in La Push – it's so beautiful."

"Thanks, we like it too," he laughed.

"So, is the reservation near here?"

"Yeah, just down the road a bit."

"What's the name of the tribe?"

"Quileute."

Suddenly, from across the fire, Lauren noticed our conversation and decided she would cause a little bit of mischief.

"So, Bella? How do you know Jacob?"

"My dad came out here to treat his dad a couple weeks ago," I replied.

_Look at her, throwing herself on that poor Quileute boy like she throws herself at Mike and Edward Cullen._

Then, another idea hit her.

"Isn't it a shame that none of the Cullens could come out today, Bella? Especially Edward?"

Jacob's head shot up. _Cullens?_ He looked to an older boy standing near the fire.

"The Cullen's don't come here," the older boy said; he sounded as though he would say no more on the matter.

_The cold ones_, Jacob thought, _could Bella know them?_

Jacob knew something about Edward that I didn't. I'd have to get what I could out of him; but how?

I turned to him, "Do you want to go for a walk with me?"

His heart beat sped up a bit as he stuttered out, "S-s-sure…"

I grabbed his hand and we walked away from the fire, the older boy was watching us suspiciously.

"So," I began once we were out of earshot. "How often do you get to leave the reservation?"

"Not often, I'm only 15; but once I get my license, I'll be able to get out more."

"Wow, you're 15? I would have thought you were more like 16 or 17."

He swelled with pride at my compliment.

"Thanks," he said.

"So, what about that guy back there? Sam? How old is he?"

"19," Jacob said. "Why?"

"He just seemed a bit older than everyone, I was curious; what was that he was saying about the Cullens?"

_She does know the Cullens. This is not good._

"They can't come on the reservation," he said.

"Why not?"

"Umm, we're not supposed to talk about it," he said.

"I won't tell," I said.

Suddenly, his mind turned violent. He had images of creatures that were white and beautiful, like the Cullens, tearing people apart and – unless I was mistaken – eating them.

Were Edward and his family cannibals?

Jacob finally spoke, "Do you like scary stories?"

"Yes," I said, trying to convince myself more than Jacob. If his thoughts were any indication, I wasn't sure I wanted to know the truth.

He glanced in the direction we had come from to make sure we hadn't been followed; he turned to me with a grim look.

"We have a lot of legends around here," he began. "Like the legend of how the Quileutes are supposedly descended from wolves."

Inwardly, he seemed to find this idea ridiculous; he continued.

"Then there's the story of the cold ones," he said; he shuddered internally.

I nodded for him to continue.

"The cold ones are enemies of the wolf – well, werewolves, really. It is believed that our ancestors were wolves that turned into men."

He found this idea to be ridiculous as well; I was starting to think so, too.

"But, what would be an enemy of a werewolf?" I asked.

Jacob's face twisted into a dark grimace, "Blood drinkers."

"Blood drinkers? As in Vampires?"

He nodded; he wasn't fully convinced of this so I wasn't sure how much to believe. But, it could explain a few things – like Edward's strength and speed; and especially his beauty.

"But, how could they live amongst so many people?" I asked. "Wouldn't there be a lot of unsolved murders?"

"Apparently, they're 'civilized;' they don't drink human blood, only animal blood," Jacob said.

I chuckled a bit; it all sounded too absurd. But, then again, so does twins with psychic abilities.

Mike and Matt began calling for me, interrupting our conversation. Though, at least I have enough to ask Edward about. I just had to figure out how.

And boy, did I have a lot to tell Matt tonight.

**I think I'll include the Port Angeles part in the next chapter. I'm wondering how and when I should let Edward in on Bella's abilities. Suggestions?**


	4. Chapter 4

I liked all of the suggestions for Bella's big reveal

**I liked all of the suggestions for Bella's big reveal! I'll take all of them to heart and, hopefully, surprise you all.**

I was still reeling from the revelation that Edward was, perhaps, a vampire. After we returned from La Push, I made the shrewd decision to do a little research – I felt it would make confronting Edward a little easier if I knew what I was talking about, so to speak.

Many of the web sites I found about the subject of vampires seemed too cartoonish to be serious; more like disaffected teenagers venting about their desolate, suburban existences.

However, when Matt and I walked into the cafeteria on Monday – a particularly sunny day – there was no sign of Edward or his siblings.

My suspicions were back on high alert.

Although, I was somewhat distracted by the fact that the school was buzzing with anticipation for the dance. But, despite being invited by Mike, Tyler and Eric – even though it was, presumably, my job to ask them – I still wasn't convinced to go.

I had been convinced, against my better judgment, to go dress shopping with Jessica, Lauren and Angela. Not that I wouldn't mind spending more time with Angela, she's always a sweet girl, but I would be subjected to Lauren's constant inner bile. And it was becoming hard on my nerves.

Of course, Charlie was delighted that I would be spending the afternoon and evening with my "new friends." Even though Matt and I made a pact years ago to never invade Charlie's thoughts, I had to know why he was so adamant that I be sociable. It turned out that Charlie was a lot like me when he was younger – smart but shy, and incredibly lonely.

I didn't want to let him down by not at least trying. Though, Charlie was still a bit sad that neither Matt nor I would be attending the dance, no matter how much we protested that we simply didn't feel comfortable with that, yet.

"There will be more dances, Dad," I said. "There's prom in the spring; Matt and I can go to that."

"True," Charlie relented. "And that's a more important dance, anyway."

"Did you go to any of your proms, Dad?" Matt asked.

Charlie smirked at us, "I'm sure you two know that I didn't already; it's hard to hide things from you."

"We don't go spelunking around in your head," Matt countered. "We like to give you privacy."

He looked skeptical, but continued, "No, I never went to prom. I asked a girl once, my junior year, but she turned me down; I never asked another girl out after that."

As I listened to Charlie's story, I held back the tears that threatened to fall. It never occurred to me that Matt and I could be the best things that ever happened to our dad; he wasn't close to his parents, so we were the only family he had.

A car horn honked outside, breaking our quiet family moment.

"That must be Jessica," I said. "I'll see you guys later."

I hugged Charlie tightly before heading out.

As I approached the car, I noticed there was only one other passenger – Angela. I breathed a sigh of relief; Lauren wouldn't be joining us today.

"Hi guys," I said, sliding into the back seat.

"Hey," Angela smiled, turning towards me from her position in the front. Jessica gave me a nod in the rearview mirror.

We were off to Port Angeles, about an hour-and-a-half east of Forks. Though, the way Jessica drove, it took a little over an hour to get there. Jessica and Angela decided on a department store, and we walked in to find the racks containing colorful arrays of various fabrics. I flipped through the racks, absentmindedly; I've never worn a nice dress like this, maybe it would be fun just to try one on?

Jessica already had an arm-load of dresses in every style and color. Angela was a bit more modest – she held up a long, pale pink dress and asked me what I thought of it.

"It's really pretty, I think it will look nice on you," I said. She blushed; something told me Angela isn't the type of girl who is used to getting complimented.

"Did you go to a lot of dances in D.C.?" Jessica asked.

"No; I was home-schooled, remember?"

"Oh, that's right," she replied. "But, you had a boyfriend or something, right?"

"No, I've never had a boyfriend; it's kind of hard when you're not around any boy but your brother on a regular basis."

"True," Jessica chuckled. "Though, your brother is really hot!"

_I wonder if he'd go to prom with me._ Jessica thought. That surprised me, she always thought about Mike in these terms; I assumed she'd want to go to prom with him, not Matt.

"Well, the boys here seem to really like you, Bella," Angela said. "Especially Tyler Crowley. He told everyone he's taking you to prom."

My head shot up, "What? He never asked me to prom!"

"Really? 'Cuz he's telling everyone that you'd already said yes," Jessica said. "That's why Lauren didn't come today; she officially hates you now."

Why do girls tell each other these things? It was almost as though Jessica wanted me to become mortal enemies with Lauren for her own amusement.

I decided to ignore the whole Tyler situation altogether and grabbed a dark blue dress. I followed Angela to the dressing room; she turned and gave me a confused look.

"I thought you weren't shopping for a dress today."

"Just for fun," I said.

Angela and Jessica decided on their respective dresses, and then went to find shoes and accessories to match. After they were all done, we noticed that it was only about 5 p.m. We agreed to meet up for dinner in an hour; I wanted to go to a bookstore, my reading habits had been unforgivably lax as of late.

But, as I wandered the streets of Port Angeles, I found myself becoming increasingly more lost. Many of the local shops were already closed for the day, and those that were open weren't exactly what I was looking for.

I passed a group of men down one street, but was careful to keep my distance; I could hear their lurid, inner comments and I wasn't about to let them get too close to me. I wandered down another street and found only blank store fronts and boarded up windows. I sighed in frustration and concentrated on finding Angela and Jessica; I closed my eyes, but couldn't hear them anywhere near me. I opened my eyes and tried walking back the way I came. However, I found myself face to face with the men from before – I was focusing so hard on finding my friends, I hadn't heard them coming up behind me. I started to run in the opposite direction.

You can run, but you can't hide, little girl, one of them thought.

I had to think of something, quick. The area was secluded enough that no one would see if I just happened to start sprinting at full speed to lose these guys completely. The only problem with that is I had no idea where I was; so I had no idea which direction to run.

I could just stand and fight – there were only five of them, it wouldn't even be much of a battle. I could throw a couple into the dumpster to my left with little difficulty, and that would probably cause at least two of the others to run for their lives. That last, brave – and stupid – man would be easily dispatched.

I turned and decided to just let them come. There were suddenly nine men – some of their friends had joined them. Still, not much of a threat, really; one of the bigger men reached me first and grabbed my shoulder. I snatched his hand and twisted it around until he was on his knees, begging me to release him. His friends started to advance, but I was able to propel two of them into the nearest brick wall telekinetically.

As the rest started to charge, headlights appeared around a corner. I recognized a shiny, silver Volvo roaring in our direction; it came to a screeching halt just inches away from me and the man I had begging for mercy.

Edward stepped from the car, "Bella? Are you OK?"

He looked at my position – a tiny, little girl standing over a gigantic man, reducing him to a sniveling, pathetic state. He was expression was an odd mixture of confusion and admiration.

"I'm fine; these guys were just being extremely rude," I said, finally releasing the man who immediately grasped his hand in pain.

"You broke my freakin' hand, you crazy bitch!" He cried.

Edward was at my side immediately; he lifted the man into the air by his throat and his eyes became black.

"Apologize!" He demanded as he squeezed the man's neck even tighter. When the man didn't respond, Edward shook him and squeezed so hard, I could have sworn the man's eyes were bulging out of his skull a little bit.

"Apologize!" He hissed; his voice low and deadly.

"I'm sorry! OK? I'm sorry!" The man choked out in a strained voice; I'm pretty sure his larynx must be somewhat damaged at this point.

Edward dropped him into a heap on the pavement and immediately grabbed my arm, dragging me to the Volvo. I climbed in the passenger side and we took off at an amazing speed. Edward finally stopped when we were well outside of the city limits; he parked the car on the side of the road and sat there, silently contemplating. I knew what was coming – there would questions about how I was able to fend off a group of thugs all by myself. At least I had the satisfaction of getting to ask a few questions myself; such as, how did he know where I was? This couldn't have been a coincidence.

"Bella? Are you sure you're OK?"

"I'm fine," I said, tilting my head to give him a concerned loo. "Are you OK?"

"Fine."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"What?"

"What just happened; that was pretty intense, and I know you probably have a lot of questions for me. I certainly have my share of questions for you."

He pinched the bridge of his nose between the index finger and thumb of his right hand before he brought the car back to life. He made a U-Turn and took us back into the city.

I told Edward I was supposed to meet Angela and Jessica for dinner at an Italian restaurant. He pulled up in front of one – I assumed it was probably the only one in town – and I jumped out to catch the girls as they were leaving.

"Hey! Jessica, Angela!" I called, running to them.

"Hey! Where did you go?" Jessica asked, almost incredulous.

"I got lost! I was looking for a bookstore and I couldn't find it and then I ran into Edward and he helped me get back."

Jessica looked up to see Edward approaching us.

_How is it Bella seems to always get Edward's attention? He's never looked twice at me! Jessica thought bitterly._

"Do you mind if I join you ladies for dinner?" He asked.

"Sure," Jessica said, excitedly.

"But, we just ate," Angela said; Jessica shot her an exasperated look. "What? We did."

"Well, then Bella and I will just go have some dinner alone, then," Edward said. "Don't worry; I'll make sure she gets home safe."

Jessica started to protest: _No! I want to stay and hang out with Edward! _But Angela was the voice of reason, as always.

"OK," Angela said. "You two have fun!"

She grabbed Jessica's arm and pulled her back towards the car. Jessica was spitting a long string of expletives at me, internally, as she made her way to the car; there was just no pleasing that girl.

Edward and I walked into the restaurant; the hostess, a tall, blond girl, greeted us warmly. In her head, however, she was wondering how Edward would lower himself to be seen with someone like me. She was also cautiously plotting how she could get him away from me.

She showed us to our table and left us some menus and a flirtatious look for Edward. He didn't seem to notice it, though. He looked like he was about to start asking me questions, but the waitress came by and interrupted us.

"Can I get you two something to drink?"

"Water," I said.

"And, how about a couple of Cokes?" Edward asked as he flashed a brief smile to the girl.

She blushed pink and said, "I'll have those right up."

"I don't really like soda," I said.

"Humor me, please," he replied. "You could probably use some sugar right about now."

"Why?"

"Bella," he began, his tone vaguely condescending. "That was an intense situation. A normal person would be going into shock right now."

"You're not."

"I'm not a normal person," he said quietly.

"Neither am I," I replied. "Aren't you going to ask me how I was able to fend off nine men by myself?"

"Actually, you were only fending off one man," he corrected; he obviously hadn't seen the two who got smashed into the wall earlier.

I crossed my arms and looked at him incredulously; he sighed and looked down at his hands.

"Let me guess – you took a few self defense classes in D.C. and now you think you can just take on anyone who tries to hurt you? Be serious, Bella; if I hadn't showed up, those men would have probably done…who knows what kinds of horrible things to you." He shuddered as though he were imagining what could have happened – at least, in his mind.

"That's what you think, huh?" I asked, I bit my lip and shook my head. "What about the van? You said it was weird that it stopped so conveniently just inches from us. Aren't you curious about that?"

He chuckled darkly, "Are you trying to tell me you stopped it somehow? You expect me to believe that?"

Just then, the waitress set our drinks and some breadsticks down in front of us, "Ready to order?"

I wasn't hungry, but decided to get something – especially if Edward was paying. I flipped open a menu and glanced down briefly, "Mushroom ravioli."

The server wrote it down and turned to Edward, "For you?"

"Nothing."

Of course not, I smirked. The waitress left and Edward and I continued our intense staring contest.

"You were saying?" He began. "About the van?"

I took a deep breath and looked around to make sure no one could see us. I turned my attention to the soda sitting in front of me. After concentrating for a second, it lifted off the table with ease and hovered just in front of Edward, at eye level. If it was possible, his face became even whiter.

I set the drink down in front of him, "Of course, that's nothing compared to stopping a van. But, have I at least convinced you? Even a little bit?"

He seemed at a loss for words. I turned to my water and sipped it slowly; well, the cat was out of the bag. I was just hoping I could trust him not to let the secret slip.

"What else can you do?" He asked quietly.

I sat back and thought for a moment, "So far, we've discovered that I have the abilities of telekinesis, telepathy and increased strength and speed. Although, my telepathy doesn't seem to work on everybody."

I turned to him with a raised eyebrow and he appraised me curiously. "You can read minds?"

I nodded.

"But, not mine?"

I shook my head. "I can't read any of your family member's either. Though, I only really tried it on Carlisle."

"How strong are you?"

"I don't know if I can demonstrate it here without raising suspicion," I said. "Plus, if some of the restaurant's property is suddenly damaged, they might be very upset with me."

He nodded; but he still seemed like he was trying to decide something. I was going to have to push him a little bit.

"You're pretty strong, yourself," I said, taking another drink. "Probably stronger than me, I'm guessing. And you're faster than me – hell, you're faster than my brother and I've never met anyone faster than him."

"He has your…abilities, too?"

"Yes, but in different degrees – he's stronger and faster, but I'm more proficient in psychical abilities."

He nodded.

"Does anyone else in your family have your abilities?" I pressed.

He narrowed his eyes at me, "What abilities would those be?"

I gave an exasperated sigh, "You're really going to take that route? Feigning ignorance? I'm not stupid, Edward; and you can't convince me that I'm crazy. I know what I saw – do you deny what you just saw?" I asked, motioning towards the glass in front of him.

He snorted a laugh, "For all I know, you could have set something up with the waitress to do that; had her put the glass on a string or something. It doesn't prove anything."

He was going to be stubborn; and my patience was wearing thin. I concentrated on the glass and it floated into the air once more; the contents were dumped into his lap before the empty glass went flying into a wall across the restaurant.

"Still think it's on a string?" I asked nonchalantly.

He lowered his voice as he looked around to see how many people had noticed, "You didn't have to do that, Bella."

"Didn't I? You want me two snap the table in half next? Or maybe throw that snotty little hostess through the nearest window? I can be just as stubborn as you, Edward; I'll do whatever it takes to make you believe me – and whatever it takes to make you tell me the truth."

"About what?"

"About you – are you like the Quileutes said; are you one of the cold ones? The blood drinkers? It would certainly explain a lot – like how you're incredibly fast and strong, or how you don't like to go out in the sunlight."

He chuckled at that last one, "Ah yes, the whole vampires are afraid of the light bit."

"So, you are a vampire?"

"Why should I tell you anything? What are you? Are you a vampire? How do you have such incredible power?"

"Fine; you want to know?" Charlie was going to kill me when he finds out, but I just couldn't stop myself. "My brother and I were discovered to have increased abilities at the age of two, when we saved my parents from being crushed by a falling beam. They were walking us by a construction site, and a crane lost control of the beam it was carrying – the cable snapped. I was able to lift my parents to a safe place while Matt caught it like it weighed nothing more than a twig. When the story got out, a government faction called The Agency took us from our parents and started experimenting with our abilities. That's were we met Charlie; he became our foster father and tried to give us something resembling a normal life. But, The Agency was going to start training us for something else, something dangerous; so Charlie brought us here to hide us."

I put my face in my hands and shook my head lightly.

"There," I continued, "I may have just completely blown our cover, but now you know. You know my secret; now…can I know yours?"

I looked up at him, and his expression was unreadable. I suspect he was torn – it would only be fair to tell me his story, but he would risk a lot in telling; maybe too much. He finally took an impossibly deep breath and turned to me.

As if on cue, the waitress came around the corner and plopped the bowl of ravioli in front of me. It didn't look all that appetizing.

"Anything else?" She asked Edward. He looked up and shook his head, and she walked away, dejected.

I was afraid the little interruption would have given him a chance to change his mind; but he looked back at me and motioned for me to get closer.

"I assume I don't have to tell you that this is to be kept between you and me? Especially considering that you have trusted me enough to tell me your secret." He dropped his eyes and continued. "What exactly did you hear about… the cold ones? And who told you?"

"I just heard that they were a group of vampires who only feed on animals," I said. "A boy told me when we were in La Push."

"A Quileute boy?"

I nodded.

"And, did you tell anyone?"

"Just Matt, but he would have found out anyway, it's hard to hide secrets from your brother when he can read your mind."

He chuckled, "How true."

"So…is it true?" I asked.

"Mostly," he said quietly, his eyes not meeting mine. "Yes, we are vampires…and we chose to drink only the blood of animals. We like to refer to ourselves as 'vegetarians.'"

I had to chuckle at that; I never thought I'd met someone who had so much in common with me. And yet, we were so devastatingly different.

"But," he said, glancing at his watch. "I think my entire back story will have to wait for another occasion. Your father will be wondering where you are."

I nodded; I trusted that he would be good on his word to tell me later. It was a big enough step for him to reveal the gist of his secret to me; I could wait a little longer to hear the rest. He left a couple of twenties on the table without waiting for the check – I assumed the extra money was for the glass that I demolished. And I left the ravioli, untouched.

He drove me back to Forks at a speed that made Jessica's driving seem like a snail's pace. But I sat back and enjoyed the ride, regardless; content in the new knowledge I had just attained.

**Cat's out of the bag, now; but, the really interesting parts will be the two families – Cullens and Swans – discovering they have so much in common. Oh, the fun they will have!**


	5. Chapter 5

Matt was never going to believe this – the Cullens; the quiet, Let's just dive back in…

Matt was never going to believe this; the Cullens, that quiet family trying – like us – to blend in and not be noticed, were a family of vampires.

Once Edward had dropped me off, I ran inside and said goodnight to Charlie while pulling Matt upstairs with me.

_You can't be serious! Bella, vampires are just a myth! Don't tell me you believe this crap._

_It explains so much, Matt. And besides, we of all people know that there are some unusual things in this world – we're living proof._

_I guess you're right, but vampires? That seems less plausible than a couple of kids who can move stuff with their minds._

_Why is it less plausible? Both require a serious stretch of the imagination! _

_True, but we're actually living, breathing humans who just happen to be a little bit special. We're not the undead!_

_Well, it's true whether you believe it or not! Edward and his family are vampires._

_What if he was just telling you all of this to get you off of his back? You have been hounding him for answers for a while now; maybe he's just shutting you up._

_How is this going to shut me up? It only makes me ask more questions! _

_OK, I'm out…look, just be careful with this situation! If it is true, Edward could be more dangerous than you know._

The next morning, Charlie was preparing to drop Matt and me off at school, as usual.

"You know, I think I should just bite the bullet and get you two a car," he said.

Matt shot me an excited glance; I wasn't quite as thrilled, because I knew that my brother would most likely be the one who would be driving most of the time.

We all walked out to the car to find a very unexpected sight at the curb: Edward Cullen leaning against his Volvo. I felt Matt and Charlie's eyes burning holes in me, and I was sure I was already turning a nice, deep shade of red. What was he doing here?

I approached to ask him that very question, but he spoke up first, "You're surprised to see me, I suppose."

"That's an understatement."

"I thought I'd drive you to school today…and, possibly, home after school?"

"What about your brothers and sisters?"

"They took Rosalie's car?"

"What about my brother?" I asked, turning to Matt who was giving me a wicked grin.

Edward's golden eyes shot in Matt's direction, "He can come if he wants. It'll save Charlie from having to take him to school."

"I'm cool," Matt called from the side of Charlie's car. "You two go ahead."

Edward pulled the passenger door open and motioned for me to get in; I plopped myself down and buckled my seatbelt – I know how Edward drives by now. He was in on his side before I could hear the belt buckle click.

After Edward roared the engine to life, we were off; I tilted my head in his direction and gazed at the beautiful slopes and angles of his profile. He caught me staring and gave me a cheeky smile.

"Like what you see?"

"Yes," I said quietly. "Who wouldn't?"

He chuckled lightly, "You don't believe in playing coy, do you?"

"I'm afraid I don't know how," I admitted. "I don't have much experience with boys – particularly not with vampire boys."

I returned his previous smile with a raised eyebrow. He cleared his throat and put his eyes back on the road, though I'm sure he doesn't really need to watch where he's going.

"Do you have more questions for me today?"

"Possibly," I said. "But, I'm thinking I might want to save some for another time; when we have more privacy. I do realize that revealing all of this information puts you in a sticky situation – I just want you to know that I appreciate how honest you're being with me."

"And I appreciate your honesty as well," he said, looking at me once more. "I assume you told your brother about me?"

"Yes, I'm not sure that he fully believes me."

"My brothers and I can remedy that," he chuckled.

"Did you tell your family?"

"Not yet; I was going to ask you if that's OK first…is it?"

"Yes."

"I think Alice was already suspecting something," he said. "She said she could feel see you and your brother being very different from all of the other students at the school – but she couldn't see why."

"What do you mean she could see?"  
"Alice has…premonitions about things – a second sight, you could say."

"She can predict the future?"

"In a way," he said. "It's more like she can see the outcome of a decision once it's been made."

"Do you have any abilities like that?"

He smiled wistfully and turned to me, "I do."

"What is it?" I pressed.

"It's very similar to one of your many gifts – I am able to…how should I put this? Read minds."

My mouth dropped open; I was hoping he had not been witness to too many of my thoughts about him. Then it hit me, "Wait! If you can read minds, how did you not figure out my secret earlier?"

"Yours – and your brother's – seems to be the only mind I can't get into," he said. "Much like you said you can't hear the thoughts of me or my family."

I sat back and gazed at him in wonder – and relief.

"I wonder why that is," I mused.

"I'm wondering the same thing," he agreed.

"So, what about the rest of your family? Does Emmett have any special gifts – aside from being built like an oak tree?"

He laughed, "His strength is his gift. And, he's a natural protector – truly the big brother to our family."

"And Jasper?"

"He's very sensitive to the feelings of others, plus he has the ability to calm any situation – just through the power of his presence."

"Rosalie?"

"Well… Rosalie is just Rosalie; she's tenacious, let's put it that way."

"And beautiful," I added. "Anytime I see a boy at school around her, he's almost dumbfounded just to be in her presence."

"Yes, she's a beautiful girl; if you like the tall, blond type," he said, giving me a wink.

I wasn't sure what he meant by that; but, then again, when you spend most of your life kept in the dark about the opposite sex, it's easy to miss when someone is flirting with you.

We pulled up to the school and were met by the stares of our fellow students as we walked to the front doors. I tried to ignore the jealous, venomous thoughts of all the girls standing near us.

_Oh my god! What's SHE doing with Edward? _

_He's never dated any other girl at this school, and then he picks her? I thought he had taste!_

Well, well, look at her; thinks she's hot shit because she has Edward Cullen chasing after her – this was Lauren, who gave me a disgusted glance from her car – wonder if I can get a good rumor started about them.

Once we were inside, and away from everyone else, I turned to Edward.

"Did you hear all of that?"

"I try to ignore what these children think," he explained. "You'll drive yourself crazy, otherwise."

Jessica appeared out of nowhere to interrupt our conversation.

"Hey, how's it going?" She asked; although, inside, she was just as surprised – and possibly jealous – as everyone else.

"Good," I said as the bell rang.

I pulled Edward aside once more before going to class, "What are we going to tell people?"

"About?"

"Us."

"Well, what would you like to tell them? We could say that, we're dating – it's probably easier that way."

"True," I said. "And, you're OK with that?"

He smiled softly as he looked down towards the floor, "It'll take some getting used to, but I think I'll manage."

I turned towards my class, satisfied that I at least had something to tell Jessica when she began her assault of questions in class. Although, maybe assault was too mild a word – she started a full-scale carpet-bombing of questions.

"OH MY GOD! You have to tell me everything! What happened when Angela and I left? Did he pay for dinner? Did he do that thing where he pretends to yawn and stretch and puts his arm around you?"

"OK, how about one question at a time? We had a nice dinner, he did pay but he did not try to put his arm around me," I said; OK, first platoon was out in the fray – let's see what the next wave brings.

"So, are you going out again?" That was a good question – we hadn't discussed that.

"Um, probably; we haven't made another date, but I assume there will be another one."

_Yeah right, she thought, he's probably one of those guys who'll go out one time and then dump you if you don't put out. Wait, did she?_

"So, did he give you a kiss?" She asked.

I wanted to reach out and smack her – or at least tell her that Edward's not at all like she thinks. But, either option would get me in some kind of trouble, so I let it drop.

"No," I said.

_Yep, he's not calling her again._

I decided to take Edward's advice and tune out her thoughts. In fact, I was just going to tune her out altogether. It helped that the teacher was starting class.

I walked out of class and found Edward waiting for me. He smiled and turned as we walked to the cafeteria in silence. In the lunch line, he started grabbing items and placed them on a tray – an apple, some carrot sticks (I had managed to nag the lunch ladies into pushing for a healthier menu), a soft pretzel and a slice of cheese pizza.

He noticed my wrinkled nose at his last two selections.

"I know you don't like junk food, but humor me," he said, picking up the apple and putting it in my hand like a peace offering. I shrugged my shoulders and we walked to a secluded table. Matt, seated next to Mike across the cafeteria, gave me that same wicked grin from this morning. I shot him a warning glance: _don't start!_

He shook his head and bit into his burger.

We sat and I started to take a bite out of my apple when a thought struck me, "How did you know I don't like junk food?"

"Well, I noticed you usually bring a salad for lunch," he said, adding with an evil smile, "And, I eavesdropped on Mike Newton one day and heard him thinking about how you're a vegetarian and that he was going to start bringing you an apple every day. Has he done that, by the way?"

"Nope," I replied. "Must have slipped his mind."

He smiled and stared at his hands; another question hit me then.

"So, you don't eat regular food, right?"

"I do not," he replied.

"But, is it that you don't or you can't?"

He picked up the slice of pizza and took a bite; he grimaced as he choked the food down then placed the slice back on the plate.

"You could eat dirt if you had to, right?" He asked.

I smiled, "I suppose so; if it's any consolation, this food pretty much tastes like dirt to me, too."

"It's just not my usual diet," he smiled back.

I grimaced at that – while we both considered ourselves vegetarians, our ideas of the term were vastly different.

"So, what do you eat? Any particular animals?" I asked.

"I like mountain lion," he said quietly.

I nodded at that, I wasn't sure I wanted to hear any more; the image of him leaping, teeth bared, at a mountain lion was enough to give me nightmares for a while.

He laughed and looked behind me, "Do you hear what all of your friends are thinking about us? Or are you drowning them out now?"

"I've been trying; mostly I'm concentrating on Matt because he's the only one I can hear that isn't thinking something awful about me or you."

Edward was silent for a moment, as though he was trying to verify my last statement – he was.

"You're right," he said. "Mike is particularly hateful today. He's usually not my biggest fan, but now he's contemplating how he can make me look like some kind of fool – and maybe that will help him win back your favor."

I concentrated on Mike, "He's wondering if he could challenge you to a race – though he's not sure if he wants to do it on foot or in his car. Which would you prefer?"

He laughed, "He doesn't stand a chance, either way."

"True, but which way would he stand the best chance?"

"Car," Edward state simply.

I sat back and thought about that for a moment. I wondered what would happen if Matt and Edward raced? Matt overheard that thought.

_So, Cullen's pretty fast, huh? And you think he stands a chance against me?_

_Quiet! I don't remember inviting you in on this conversation._

Edward noticed that I'd gone silent – when Matt and I are communicating, I have a tendency to become quiet, and very still.

"Are you OK?" He asked.

"Yes," I said. "Matt's just making snide remarks; he wants his chance to race you, apparently."

He smirked, "How fast is he?"

"We're not sure," I said. "There was no instrument that could accurately clock him. He's faster than an F-18, and I think those go a little under mach 2."

His eyes widened, "How could they possibly test that?"

"I hear it was tricky, but they took him out to Nevada and managed to find enough open space so he could run while the jet was flying at a low altitude above him."

"What about you?"

"I've never raced a Hornet," I smiled. "They weren't concerned with that when it came to me; they wanted me to be able to use my second-sight and my telekinesis."

Does he really need to know all of this? Matt asked.

He's not going to tell anyone, I spat back.

_That's what you think._

_Look, if he let's our secret slip, I let his slip; understand?_

_Whatever!_

Edward brought me back from our sibling spat, "Another psychic outburst?"

"A bit," I said, turning to narrow my eyes at my brother. Suddenly, the bell rang; Edward picked up our tray – I had only dared consume the apple and carrots.

After he dumped the tray, we headed to our science class. Mr. Banner brought in a TV on a big, rolling metal cart – in lieu of actually trying to teach us today, he said he was going to show us a film. The class seemed excited at the prospect of not having to use their brains; not like most of them ever did, anyway.

Once the movie was on and the lights were out, I felt this strange sensation emanating next to me; it was coming from Edward. It was similar to the electric shock I felt that day we were studying the phases of mitosis. But, it wasn't a brief, sudden shock – it was a slow, pulsating current. It was like putting a hand on one of those crystal, electric balls – it made every hair on my body stand on end.

The 55 minutes of class seemed to crawl by a little slower than usual today. My heart was beating fast when the lights were switched back on – I wondered if Edward had felt even one-tenth the sensations I was feeling all through class.

He gave me a knowing glance, "That was interesting."

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to slow my heart down; it made him chuckle. I looked at him – I could feel my cheeks start to burn.

"Don't be embarrassed," he whispered. "If my heart could beat, it would be going crazy right now, too."

I gave him a weak smile as we stood and headed to our next classes.

In P.E., I was further subjected to the thoughts of Mike Newton, who was still pondering how he could show me how much more suited he was for me than Edward. He even thought of telling me some ridiculous lie to make me hate Edward, but decided against that path – even Mike has more class than that. Lauren, on the other hand…

Once class was over, I headed back to the locker room to change, only to be stopped by Mike.

"So, you're seeing Cullen now, huh?"

"Yes," I said, defiantly.

_Think of something, Newton! Tell her he's no good for her._

"I don't like him," Mike admitted. "He just seems like a jerk."

"Oh really? Have you ever really talked to him?" I shot back.

He hadn't thought of that, "No, I guess I haven't. But, you don't always need to speak to someone to get a good sense of them! He doesn't seem like he'd treat you right; I mean, he's always acted like he's too good for all the girls here, and then he decides to suddenly start dating you? It seems suspicious."

"Maybe, he feels comfortable with me," I said and turned on my heel towards the locker room.

**I want to get to the meadow scene soon (can't forget that!) – still liking things so far? Anything you'd like to see, in particular?**


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Edward was out in front of the house as we were leaving again

**Moving right along…**

The next morning, Edward was out in front of our house as we were leaving again.

"So," Charlie began, giving Edward a wearied glance, "Is this going to be an every day occurrence? Is this boy your boyfriend?"

He couldn't disguise the worry in his voice, and I believe I detected a note of overprotective father somewhere in there, as well. I simply shrugged.

"I don't know, Dad; I guess you could say we're dating, but we haven't said anything about being boyfriend and girlfriend, yet."

Charlie's expression hardened even more at my last statement. I know he had a multitude of reasons for wanting me to stay away from Edward – and all boys for that matter – but I hoped that I could, one day, set his mind at ease.

I wanted more than anything to explain to him that Edward wouldn't spill our secret, because he has one of his own. Though, I know Charlie would find Edward's family secret to be more a more worrisome factor than Edward's knowledge of my abilities.

I walked down to Edward's car and he automatically, and quite gracefully, opened the passenger door and let me climb in; he took his time getting in on his side – he knew Charlie was still watching us. We were about to leave when Matt appeared at my window; I rolled it down, "What?"

"Remember, we're meeting Dad after school to look for a car."

"OK, just meet me outside the gym like usual."

He smirked at Edward and walked back to Charlie's car. I turned to Edward who was gazing at me thoughtfully.

"New car? I guess I'm not going to have to pick you up anymore," he mused.

"You don't have to now," I countered. "You just seem to like to drive me places."

He gave me his sweet, crooked grin, "That I do."

We headed out towards school when a thought seemed to hit him, "It's actually good that you're going car shopping after school; I forgot that I have to leave early."

"For what?"

"Alice and I are…going hunting," he admitted; I didn't want to press him on any details. I wasn't sure if I'd ever really want to know what goes on when he and his family hunt for food. I don't even like the idea of people hunting with guns, let alone Edward hunting with his bare hands.

"Any particular reason?" I asked, tentatively.

"Well, I was hoping to spend some time alone with you this weekend; and I'd like to get my hunger out of the way first."

That's when I noticed his eyes were almost a deep black.

"How long has it been since the last time you hunted?"

"Almost two weeks," he said.

"Does it make you stronger when you're hungry?"

"Yes, in a way," he said. "It certainly makes the need to feed more insatiable. And that can cause me to…lose control. I don't want to do that with you."

"You know I'm not some fragile little girl, right?" I said, almost insulted. "I mean, I appreciate that you're taking these precautions for me; but they're not that necessary. I can take care of myself."

"You've never gone head to head with a vampire," he said, darkly. "You don't know if you can handle me."

"And you don't know that I can't," I spat back, a little more bitterly than I had meant.

He was silent for a moment, "You're right; but, all the same, I don't want to spend the weekend hungry."

He turned to me and smiled; I returned his smile weakly. I know I have a tendency to overreact, I can't help it.

The school day flew past faster than normal; probably because I was anticipating the coming day more than I cared to let on.

In the cafeteria, Edward turned to me and asked, "What time would you like me to pick you up tomorrow? Did you want to sleep in? Do you sleep in?"

"Not often," I smiled. "I guess it all depends on what you have planned."

He thought for a moment, "How does 8 a.m. sound?"

"Sounds good to me," I said.

Just then, Alice bound up to us with a dancer's grace; I was almost jealous.

Edward didn't turned his eyes from me as he introduced us, "Alice, Bella – Bella, Alice."

I met Alice's eyes and smiled – she returned it, "It's nice to finally meet you."

"You too," I replied.

She turned to Edward, "Ready?"

"In a moment."

Alice skipped off towards the Volvo as I turned to Edward hesitantly.

"Does she know? Did you tell her about me?"

He smiled. "Yes; but she'd the only one."

"Why just her?"

"Alice and I are closer than the others; plus, I was hoping you could explain your situation to the rest of my family – in your own time."

I nodded, "That sounds like a good idea; thank you."

He smiled as the bell rang for lunch to be over. He rose and turned towards the door of the cafeteria, giving me one last glance over his shoulder.

Car shopping with Charlie and Matt in Port Angeles was just as I'd expected it would be: Charlie tried to steer us towards the safer, more fuel efficient and less expensive cars; but Matt wanted something sportier. I just stood well back and let the two bicker about efficiency versus style.

"How about this?" Charlie asked, motioning towards a small, blue car. "A Honda Fit, it gets 32 miles to the gallon, highway; and it's not a bad looking car."

"Dad," Matt whined. "That's a hatchback! You really want us to pull up to school in that? We're trying to blend in, not get laughed off of campus."

Matt moved to a sleek, silver car, "Now, this Infinity is nice; it gets pretty much the same gas mileage, but isn't like driving my dad's station wagon to school."

"That's 35,000, Matt," Charlie warned.

"Dad, don't doctors make, like, insane amounts of money?" Matt asked.

"Not in Forks," Charlie chuckled.

"OK, how about this?" I asked, finally taking my role as the mediator. "A Toyota Prius; 50 miles to the gallon, and it's only 25,000. Plus, I think it's very cute."

Matt turned up his nose at my selection, so I added, "It's very trendy, Matt. I hear that Cameron Diaz – or whatever her name is – has one of these."

He wasn't fully convinced, "You're such a hippie sometimes, Bella. How about this one? A Miata! That's a nice ride."

"Matt," I chuckled, "That car is tiny! You probably won't even fit into it."

"Come on!" Matt whined. "Don't they make a Hummer in a hybrid? Can't we find something like that?"

"Matt," Charlie said, striking that appropriate fatherly tone. "It's either the Prius or a Honda – take your pick."

Matt sighed in frustration, but relented. "Fine! The Prius!"

I smiled at Charlie who motioned for the salesman to come over to help us.

"So, did we find something we liked?" The man asked.

"We like the Prius," Charlie said.  
"Good choice; great gas mileage, plus it can fit five people very comfortably. It's great for those high school, weekend road trips."

"How about a test drive?" Charlie asked.

Predictably, Matt jumped into the driver's seat to take the car for a spin. We are both more than proficient at driving most kinds of transportation, so I wasn't too worried about getting my turn at driving the car. I sat in the back and pondered what Edward and I would be doing tomorrow morning.

Once we were back in the dealership's parking lot, Charlie asked, "How much?"

"Let's go inside and talk," the salesman said.

I awoke at 5:30, as usual, the next morning and found myself in a quandary I've never been in before – what should I wear?

Edward hadn't specified on any particular type of outing, so I dug through my clothes and found a pair of jeans and a light, long-sleeved t-shirt. I grabbed a sweater to wear over my outfit and a pair of sturdy, yet nice boots. I figured I was probably covering all of my bases – unless he had planned something fancy. In which case, I could just change when he got to the house.

Edward showed up just before 8 a.m., as promised, dressed in jeans and a pair of tennis shoes. I breathed a sigh of relief in my outfit choice.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Yes," I said, turning towards the kitchen where Charlie was sitting drinking coffee and reading his paper. "Bye Dad, I'll be back later."

Charlie raised his eyes over his paper and gave me another wearied glance, "Have fun."

"So," I began, strapping myself into the Volvo, "Where are we off to?"

"No," he said. "No questions or chit-chat until we get there. I want to surprise you."

"So, I have to be completely quiet until we get wherever it is you're taking us?" I asked, incredulously.

He just shot me a glance and a nod and left it at that.

We drove for about 45 minutes until he pulled the car to the side of the road and looked at me with a sly smile. I turned to the window to see a path leading into the woods; I assumed that was where our journey would take us.

"We're hiking?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No," I said. "I would actually really love to see more of the scenery around here; it's a nice change from what I'm used to."

He grinned, "Good; it's about 5 miles, that's not a problem is it?"

I gave him a dirty look while I unbuckled my seat belt and opened my door, "If it's not a problem for you, it's not a problem for me."

He chuckled as he joined me on the other side of the car and we began to make our way through the winding trail of dirt and foliage. It was just as beautiful as the journey in La Push; only this time, the company was much more desirable.

We didn't speak as we made our way to Edward's particular destination, just listened to the sounds of the forest as we tread silently and easily over the terrain. I'm sure Edward thought this would be a difficult journey for me, but I found it to be quite easy. I was silently contemplating how I would convince him that I am his equal in every way.

A bright clearing was visible through the trees, and I assumed that was our destination. Edward looked up and smiled as he turned to me, "There it is."

He led me into the meadow, a small gathering of tall, soft grass and beautiful wildflowers; I gasped at the sight before me.

"I take it you like my surprise," he said amused.

"This is so beautiful," I said quietly.

"This is where I come when the weather is nice," he said.

I walked out into the sunlight, raising my face to the warmth shining down on me. I made my way out until I was halfway across the clearing before I realized I was walking alone – Edward was still behind me, hiding under the shade of the abiding trees. I gave him a confused look; why had he brought me here if he wasn't going to come out with me?

"Edward; what's wrong?"

He sighed and motioned for me to return to his side. I walked back and stood next to him as he lowered his head and spoke softly.

"You know those theories about vampires? That they melt or disintegrate in the sunlight?"

I almost gasped out loud again; I hadn't thought of that! Would he not be able to step out into the light? I nodded for him to continue.

"Well, they're not true – but, it is still not easy for me to be in direct contact with the sun."

"Why not?"

He smiled, "It's best if I show you; I just wanted you to be prepared."

I stood back as he slowly walked out into the light – one foot in front of the other, as if he were on a tightrope. He paused briefly at the edge of the shaded area and took a deep breath before placing himself out into the open. I almost fell to my knees when I saw the effect the sun had on him.

A thousand bright, sparkling lights bounced off of his perfect, alabaster skin; like he had diamonds imbedded into his flawless surface.

I approached him slowly as he stood frozen in the glow of himself and the sun. The light reflected only from his exposed hands, chest and face, but it was enough to be nearly blinding. I walked until I stood in front of him and stretched my hands out to meet his; the skin of his white hands was still cold underneath my touch.

His hands grasped mine as I leaned into him and pressed the side of my face to his chest; it was strange to be so close to a man's heart without hearing a beat. I pulled away and looked up at his perfect face – his eyes were closed.

"Edward? What are you thinking about?"

The corners of his lips twitched as he opened his eyes and looked at me – he almost seemed sad.

"I was just thinking of that first day I met you," he said. "I still haven't told you exactly why I acted the way I did."

I stood there, still holding his hands, waiting to hear his explanation. He sighed and launched into his story.

"I told you that my diet consists of the blood of animals; but that does not mean I am immune to the scent of human blood. But, I am usually able to keep that desire at bay, until you came along."

He looked down at me meaningfully.

"I have never smelled a human's blood as sweet and inviting as yours," he said. "I could have sworn you were sent to ruin me – to ruin the life Carlisle had set up for me and my family here."

"My blood is that inviting to you?" I asked.

"Every human's blood smells different to a vampire," he said. "Like different bouquets of wine – however, most humans simply smell like a cheap, young vintage of table wine to me anymore. You, on the other hand, were like a classic Pinot Noir – it drove me mad."

I dropped my eyes toward the ground, this had explained a lot.

"I thought you hated me; I thought I had offended you in some way," I said.

"I did, and you did," he smiled. "Just not in the way you're thinking. It wasn't anything you said or did, just a very essential part of who you are."

I looked back up to him, "So, how are you able to keep all that at bay now?"

He smirked, "I guess you can say it's just mind over matter. I choose to not act on my impulses."

"Why?"

"I'm still not quite sure," he said. "I think it has something to do with this nagging feeling that there's something more than a bloodlust that draws me to you."

"Really?" I asked quietly. "What do you think that other reason may be?"

He smiled, "I don't think I can describe it adequately."

We stared at each other in silence for what felt like hours before he leaned in toward me; I closed my eyes in anticipation, but instead of feeling any pressure against my lips, I felt the side of his face pressed against my chest. I opened my eyes and looked down at the top of Edward's head.

His hands grasped mine tightly, I decided to try and pry my hand away from him. I twisted my left arm and deftly slid my hand out of his – he swiftly pulled away from me.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked, now standing about two feet away from me.

"No," I said. "I was just testing your grip. You seem to think I'm just as weak and fragile as the rest of the girls at our school – I wonder if you wouldn't mind a demonstration of some of my strengths?"

He eyed me warily, "How do you mean?"

I turned to the nearest tree and walked over; I reached for the lowest branch and easily pulled it from the tree – like pulling a pedal from a flower. I stood with this piece of tree – almost twice as long as me, and probably weighing twice as much, as well – and turned back to Edward. I couldn't gauge his reaction – he had such a good poker face.

I took the branch in my hands and easily snapped it in two; I threw the longer end into a tree across the clearing like a javelin. It splintered into pieces upon impact against another tree, and I turned back to Edward, who was still passively watching me.

"Would you like to see more?" I asked.

He moved toward me and stood in front of me; he looked down on me with a curious expression.

"Could you uproot that tree?" He asked, pointing toward the tree I had pulled the branch from.

I looked at the tree sadly; pulling a branch from the tree was one thing, but uprooting a beautiful, tall tree all together? That was not something I relished doing. And Edward sensed my unease.

I walked toward it, reluctantly, and pulled it up out of the ground and above my head briefly; I set it back into its place and turned to Edward expectantly.

He nodded and looked towards his shoes, "I'm sorry; I know that was hard for you to do."

He looked back up at me, "What about your telekinesis?"

I concentrated on Edward, and lifted him into the air; he was startled at first, but then seemed amused by my decision to use him in my demonstration.

"I assume you can lift much more than my body weight with your mind?"

"There's not much around to work with," I said. "I'll lift the car when we get back to it, if you want."

I set him back on the ground and he looked at me intently; he crouched down low and looked at me like a predator to its prey. My instincts went on high alert as he leaped, fast as lightning, towards me. I dodged out of the way as he continued to move towards me.

We moved together like a choreographed ballet; parrying and thrusting towards each other and swirling around the surrounding trees. He played more of the dominating role in our dance, but I feel like I held my own more than sufficiently.

We ended up back in the clearing – having chased our way through the forest – and rested in the soft grass. We lay on our backs for a while, neither really out of breath, but both pondering our peculiar situation. Besides my brother, I'd never met someone like myself – at least, I'd never met someone who had similar abilities.

I rolled over to my stomach and watched Edward as he lay in the sun, eyes closed; glowing and throwing his facets of light into the air like a life-sized kaleidoscope.

He opened his eyes and looked at me, the corners of his lips slowly curved into a smile.

"OK, I'll admit; you're not as fragile as I thought you were," he said.

I returned his smile, "Thank you."

We stared at each other further, I wasn't immediately aware that I was moving closer to him until we were lying next to each other. I rested my head on his shoulder and felt his body tense ever so slightly. I smiled to try and ease his worries, "Please don't be afraid. You know you can't hurt me."

He chuckled darkly, "I'm still not 100 percent sure. In the heat of the moment, when we both have our guard down, something could still happen."

"Won't you at least try?" I asked, moving even closer; I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to be as close to him as possible.

He turned his face to mine, our noses were almost touching; we stared into each other's eyes. I sucked in my breath and waited for him to make a move – unsure if it would even come.

He inched his face closer and brushed his lips across mine. The electricity of that one, simple moment was incredible; I was almost certain I could die happy with that one, small kiss.

He pulled back to gauge my reaction and smiled; I'm sure I wouldn't be able to wipe the smile off of my own face for a few days. I leaned towards him to test the waters even further; I didn't want to push too far, but I wanted to see if he'd let me be the dominant party for once.

He didn't pull back; just let me put my lips to his briefly to relish in their smooth, cold softness.

His right hand reached across his body and took hold of my left – weaving his fingers in mine. We lay there, quietly, both with our eyes closed; both wanting to see if we could take our experiments any further, but still unsure. I noticed for the first time that his chest rose and fell as much as mine did.

"You still have to breathe?" I asked, realizing the question sounded strange as it left my lips.

He chuckled, "No; it's just a habit."

Our faces were turned back towards each other; I stared into the depths of his amazing, golden eyes and lost myself – like that day in the ambulance. We were only a breath away.

I moved in closer once more, molding my lips to his. He responded with more fervor than before, allowing our lips to slide against each other. He tilted his head in the opposite direction to get a better angle to attack from. His left hand disengaged itself from its previous position and came up to my chin, pulling it down slightly to force my mouth open. His tongue swept into past my lips and brushed lightly against my own tongue; I was briefly startled, but also emboldened by his actions.

My tongue chased his back towards his mouth and found itself gliding softly along the edges of his teeth. I think I was subconsciously trying to find a set of elongated cuspids among his teeth, but only found a straight, even row of polished, white pearls. His teeth were as perfect as he was. In fact, there really wasn't anything about him that wasn't absolutely flawless.

He noticed my dental investigation and pulled back slightly – chuckling softly.

"Were you looking for my fangs?" He asked.

I blushed and ducked my head sheepishly, "Yes."

"Sorry to disappoint you," he smiled.

"I'm not disappointed; just curious," I said. "How do you penetrate skin without them?"

He shook his head, "You don't need to hear about any of that."

He was right, I didn't really want to hear it; the less I knew about his other life, the better. We suddenly noticed the sky was getting dark, "Your dad will be worried about you soon, won't he?"

"Probably," I said. "I don't know if he likes me dating – you know, considering I'm not a normal girl."

"Well, it's a dad thing, isn't it? They don't like to let their little girls go – special, psychic abilities or not."

"That's true," I said. "But Charlie looks at it from the perspective of both a father and a former government agent – he needs to keep me more protected than your average teenage girl."

Edward stood and pulled me up with him, "Let's not keep him waiting then."

**So, I'd like the whole "Bella meets the Cullens" scenario to be more of a "Swans meet the Cullens" – you know, include the whole family. I think there could be an interesting, friendly rivalry between Matt and Emmett/Edward, what do you think?**

**Oh, and the love scenes will get steamier, don't you worry!**


	7. Chapter 7

The drive home

**The drive home from the meadow**

"So, tell me about your life," I began, turning towards him as he sped back home.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything," I laughed. "Where were you born?"

"Chicago."

"When?"

"1901; I was dying of influenza in 1918 when Carlisle found me," he said. "My father had already passed away from the disease and my mother was not far behind. Before she died, she begged Carlisle to help me – and he did."

"How?"

Edward hesitated, "He had to show tremendous restraint; Carlisle has an amazing capacity for compassion. He was also lonely, and he was looking for someone like him to be a companion – he managed to save both of our lives that day."

"Has Carlisle changed all of your family?"

"No, not Alice or Jasper," he replied. "After he changed me, Esme – my adoptive mother – was next; then Rosalie and Emmett."

"Are there many vampires in the world?"

He chuckled, "I'm not sure of the exact number; not all are like us – those who still feed on humans tend to be nomadic. That makes our numbers impossible to know for certain, but there are not very many."

We had been parked out in front of our house for about 20 minutes before I finally looked towards the front windows to find Charlie looking out, watching us like a hawk. I sighed in frustration and Edward followed my gaze.

"I take it that Charlie doesn't know my secret?"

"No," I said quietly, still staring up at my snooping father; I turned to Edward then, "I've actually wanted to talk to you about that. I think we could find a way to have both of our families come to an understanding about this situation. I want to have your family over here some night where we could all sit down and let everyone in on our secrets. We have the perfect excuse; our fathers do work together."

Edward was looking down towards his hands thoughtfully, "That's a good idea, actually. I know that my family is beginning to get suspicious; and I know that having Carlisle and Esme there will help Charlie keep calm during the whole process."

"So, when are we going to make this happen?"

"As soon as possible," he stated simply. "And how about we have it over at our house, instead? It's very secluded, it may make Charlie feel more secure – as though no one could possibly eavesdrop."

"Or it could frighten him even more to know he was at a secluded house full of vampires," I suggested gently.

"He works with a vampire every day."

"In a very public hospital," I replied. "I think it'll be better here; let Charlie be in his element."

Edward smiled and leaned his forehead to mine, "OK, I'll talk to my family."

Inside the house, Charlie was in his recliner reading a paper – acting as though he hadn't been spying on Edward and me the whole time. Matt was suddenly at my side.

_So, you want us to spend some time with your boyfriend's family, huh? How are you planning on telling Charlie?_

_Haven't figured that part out yet; any suggestions?_

_Lying always works._

_I've never lied to Charlie; besides, you know how good I am at deception._

_Oh, indeed I do! So, just say you want Charlie to get to know Edward and you think having all of the Cullens over will relieve some of the pressure._

_That's brilliant; sometimes you actually impress me._

He narrowed his eyes and turned back up the stairs. I took a deep breath and walked into the living room to confront Charlie. I stood in front of him and cleared my throat to get his attention, he glanced over his paper.

"How was your date?" He asked – he actually sounded genuinely interested.

"It was really nice, in fact I was hoping I could invite Edward over for dinner some time," I said, trying to keep my nervousness at bay.

His eyes narrowed, "When were you hoping to do this?"

"Soon; maybe next weekend," I said. "I wanted to invite his whole family over. Since you work with Carlisle, Edward and I hoped we could all get to know each other."

He finally set his paper aside and brought his hands together, pressing his index fingers against his lips in thought – this didn't seem good.

"So, let me get this straight: you want me to entertain your boyfriend's whole family here, in our tiny house? And risk someone finding out this secret we're trying so desperately to keep?"

I took another deep breath, I wanted to throttle Charlie. He was being difficult – and very unreasonable.

"First of all, it's not just my boyfriend's family – it's your co-worker's, as well. Secondly, it will be you, me and Matt entertaining them; as a family. It couldn't hurt to have guests over to help keep up this façade that we're a happy, normal little family, could it?"

His expression seemed to soften; he hadn't thought of that part – that we could give the wrong impression if we became too isolated. I smiled, letting him know I could hear what he was thinking. He looked into my eyes and gave a smile of his own.

"OK, Bella; I've asked you to trust me throughout this whole ordeal, it's only fair that I show you the same respect. Next weekend, you can invite the Cullens over for dinner."

It hit me just then – dinner! The Cullens can't eat dinner with us! I had to think of something fast.

"Actually, Dad, let's not make a big production out of it; especially not if you have to foot the bill. How about I invite them over to…play board games, or something? And then we can just set out a few snacks! No big deal."

Charlie almost seemed like he was catching on to my sudden, hasty change of plans, but let it drop.

"Either way, Bells; you make all the plans – you're the hostess."

I smiled and turned to head upstairs; I passed Matt in the hallway.

_Good work, very smooth._

_Shut. Up._

_Snappy comeback, too; you are in rare form today! Is this what being in love makes people act like?_

I was about to shoot back an insult, but stopped myself. I was in love; there was no sense in denying that part. In fact, I decided I could feel a little smug about it; Matt's usually the first to have every new experience. This was the first new thing I could call my own.

He picked up on my thoughts and gave me a dirty look.

_Whatever! Go ahead and enjoy your little victory! _

He stomped off to his room and slammed the doors; Charlie called up at us, "Hey, stop that door slamming."

I laughed and shook my head before heading into my room. I picked up the phone and dialed Edward's number.

"Hey," his smooth voice washed over me like a warm, summer breeze – even through a phone. "Did you run everything past Charlie?"

"Yes; next weekend, the company of you and your family is requested at the Swan household for a day of board games and conversation."

He chuckled, "Board games?"

"Well, we can't exactly do dinner, can we?"

"True; so what time should we be over?"

"I'm thinking sometime around 2 p.m. or so, on Saturday."

"OK, I'll talk to my family tonight and let you know Monday," he said.

"You're going to make me wait until then to know?"

I could hear the smile in his voice, "Yes; I'm pretty good at torture."

Edward was curbside on Monday morning again, leaning against his Volvo in a light grey sweater – I think it was the first time I actually noticed what he was wearing. I was about to walk down to his car when he approached Charlie; I could feel my dad start to tense up inside.

"Hello Mr. Swan, we haven't officially met yet, but I'm Edward Cullen."

"I know who you are," Charlie said. "So, you're Bella's boyfriend now, hmmm?"

"Yes I am," Edward replied softly. "And I understand that you are being generous enough to invite my family over to your house next Saturday."

Charlie seemed taken aback by Edward's friendliness, "Yes…well, it's my pleasure, son. It will be nice to meet the rest of Carlisle's family."

I smiled and took Edward's hand as we walked to the Volvo; Matt had already jumped in the Prius and took off towards school. Edward opened the passenger door for me and let me slip in quickly.

"I take it your family has all agreed to the meeting," I said, unnecessarily, as he pulled the car away from the curb.

"They did," he replied simply.

"I also take it that some of them may not be too happy about the situation."

He was quiet.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing," he said. "My family wants to support me and my choices; but they can't understand why I can't leave you alone."

I smiled and took his hand again, "I think they'll understand better after this weekend."

"I hope you're right."

I woke up at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, and spent the next nine-and-a-half hours running around making sure everything was clean and perfect. I even scrubbed down rooms I was sure the Cullens would never set foot. By the time our door bell rang, I was sitting on the edge of the couch, wringing my hands in worry.

Edward and I hadn't really discussed how we were going to bring up the subject of the Cullen family secret. Edward suggested the best idea was to simply sit Charlie down and tell him, not beat around the bush.

I ran to the door and flung it open to find the Cullens all standing there in various degrees of enthusiasm. Edward, Carlisle and Esme seemed very happy to be here. Alice was not quite as enthused, but still game. Jasper and Emmett were unreadable, while Rosalie seemed unhappy; she gave me a withering glance. I shuddered inwardly and moved to the side for my guests to enter.

Edward was the last to come in and took me aside; he leaned down and whispered in my ear, "I told Carlisle about this situation. I thought it would be best for him to know, especially if he could help us defuse any difficult situations."

I nodded, "Thanks."

He smiled and brushed his lips across mine softly; we were starting to deepen the kiss a bit when we heard a small cough behind us. Alice stood there, smiling.

"Oh," Edward continued. "And, Alice knows, too."

I smiled and turned toward Alice; she was bouncing eagerly in the foyer as if she wanted to ask me something. Edward laughed and turned to me again, "She just wants to ask you about some of your abilities. Later, perhaps?"

He gave Alice a meaningful look and she stared back until he sighed in frustration, "Is there anything else, Alice?"

"I just wanted to let Bella know that everything will be alright," she said in her sweet, high-pitched voice. "Charlie will freak out at first, but he'll eventually accept this situation."

"Define eventually," I said, but Matt interrupted us before she had a chance to answer.

"Hey!" He said. "No side parties! Come on; let's get this thing going before Charlie gives himself a stroke trying to be sociable."

We all chuckled and followed Matt into the living room. I came face to face with Carlisle and Esme as soon as I entered; Esme engulfed me in a big hug, "It's so nice to meet you, Bella!"

I hugged her back, "It's nice to meet you, too."

Carlisle looked at Edward over the top of my head; Edward put a hand on my shoulder and whispered in my ear again, "Carlisle thinks we should get the telling Charlie part over with first. It's not fair to him to put up this front when we're not really here to play games."

I looked in Carlisle's eyes and saw they reflected everything that Edward was telling me. I nodded at him and he smiled weakly as I walked into the kitchen to find Charlie fixing drinks for everyone.

"Do they want anything?" Charlie asked; his head in the fridge. "I have club sodas, or maybe some iced tea."

"Umm, Dad? Can you come into the dining room for a second?"

He lifted his head up and looked at me suspiciously, "What's going on, Bella?"

I was about to speak again when I felt a presence behind me, "Charlie? I think we need to discuss something with the kids."

"Carlisle? Is there something wrong? Do you not approve of Bella dating Edward?" Charlie was starting to sound defensive.

Jasper appeared in the room then, and Charlie seemed to lighten up a bit. He followed all of us into the dining room and we sat around the table. Edward and I sat next to each other on Charlie's left with Matt.

Charlie took a breath and turned his attention to me, "Bella? What do you want to discuss?"

"It's about all of us, really," I began. "You see, Dad, the reason Edward and I have dared to become so close to each other is because we both are…unique."

"Bella," Charlie hissed in a low voice. "Please don't tell me you're being careless now, not you."

"Charlie; we're both being careless," Edward explained. "I know what Bella is…and, she knows what I am."

"What do you mean, what you are?" Charlie asked.

Emmett, Rose and Jasper shot Edward warning glances, but it was Carlisle who decided to let the secret out. "Charlie, we're vampires."

Charlie looked stunned for a moment; then his face broke into an amused expression. "Carlisle, you really are a card, you know that? Vampires! As if such a thing actually exists."

He was chortling loudly at this point; until he realized he was the only one who found the situation funny. He looked up at me and Matt expectantly, "You two don't really believe this? A family of vampires; it's utterly ridiculous!"

"Dad, it's not any more ridiculous sounding than two kids with our abilities," Matt said.

"Matthew!" Charlie yelled, jumping out of his seat. Jasper stood along with him and managed to calm him once more.

"The reason for this meeting," Carlisle said, standing. "Is to clear the air; both of our families came to this small, unassuming town to try and blend in – we all have secrets to hide. I, for one, am grateful that Edward and Bella have been so up front about everything. And I think we can help each other to remain low key here in Forks."

Charlie was still staring in disbelief, "Carlisle; how can you expect me to believe that a man who works as a doctor is a vampire? How could you possibly be around all that blood all of the time? And all of those people? I know you're a patient man, but you'd have to be a monk to have that kind of self control."

Carlisle chuckled. "I guess you could say that; it's taken me 600 years to hone this kind of patience. But, I've managed to teach myself the discipline required to keep my diet to animal blood alone."

"600 years? You've…aged well," Charlie spat out.

"We may have to convince him, Carlisle," Emmett finally spoke up. "I'd be glad to give him a demonstration!"

"What do you mean by that?" Matt asked, glaring across at Emmett.

"I'm just saying we could go out to the clearing and show Charlie what we Cullens are capable of," Emmett replied with a smirk. "And besides; I'd like to see what some of the wonder twins abilities are, as well."

Matt returned the smirk, "You know, I've been wanting to see if you can keep up with me, Emmett! This should be fun!"

"Alright, boys," Carlisle warned. "Let's not get crazy."

I turned to Charlie with a worried look, "You still don't believe them, do you?"

"Right now, I don't know what to believe, Bells," he said.

I put my hand on his, "Let them show you, then. Please? I want us all to get along."

Edward began to rub my back gently and I noticed Esme give us a warm, reassuring smile from across the table. Charlie shrugged, "What choice do I have now?"

"It's completely your choice, Charlie," Carlisle said gently.

"Well," Matt said, standing up. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not going to sit around here and argue all day."

Matt started walking to the door and Emmett got up to follow, much to Rosalie's chagrin.

"Wait up, Swan! We'll go to the place where we like to play a little ball," Emmett said.

"What kind of ball?" Matt asked.

"You'll see," Emmett teased, walking outside.

Matt turned to the rest of us, "Coming?"

Jasper and Alice followed with Rosalie trailing behind in a huff. The five of us that remained sat there, unsure of what exactly to do; then Carlisle spoke up.

"Maybe it would be a good idea to get out of the house," he said. "What do you say, Charlie?"

Charlie stood with a sigh, "I'm game."

We drove out to the clearing where Matt and Emmett were waiting for us already – they took Emmett's Jeep while the rest of us came in Charlie's Buick and Edward's Volvo. Jasper, Alice and Rosalie sat in the back of Edward's car – with Rosalie shooting daggers into the back of my head the whole time.

Matt and Emmett were jumping around like two boxers preparing for a fight; Carlisle walked up to them and held up his hands. "Now, I want you two to remember, this is only for demonstrational purposes. Showing off is one thing, just don't take it too far, understand?"

Both nodded and walked over to a strange-looking field with four small, white squares making a diamond shape that protruded out from a fenced shelter.

"What is all of this?" I asked.

Charlie chuckled, "It's a baseball diamond, Bells."

"What's baseball?" Matt asked this time, watching as Emmett pulled a long, metal object, which looked like a weapon, out of a bag.

"You take this," Emmett said, handing Matt the metal stick. "And you hit this with it."

Emmett's large hand was wrapped around a small, white ball with red stitches in it; Matt took the ball and looked at Emmett questioningly.

"That's it? That's your game? Where's the fun in that?"

"Like I said," Emmett replied. "You'll see."

Emmett went over the basic fundamentals with Matt and me, and then we split into teams: Alice, Jasper, Matt, me and Edward on one team – everyone else on the other.

"I really don't know how much help I'm going to be," Charlie said. "I'm not particularly athletic."

"It's OK," Esme said. "Just stand back here and be the catcher."

"That's fine, I'll just watch."

Matt and I looked at each other and laughed. Emmett's team was "up to bat" first – or so he said; Alice launched the ball so fast, it nearly made Charlie leap out of his skin. He was finally starting to believe.

The first pitch easily slid past Emmett and into my awaiting hands, but he gathered himself and focused on the next one. He swung and cracked the ball high and fast into the air; it shot well out of the clearing with Edward and Matt in hot pursuit. A few seconds later, the two returned – Matt had a smug grin on his face and the ball in his hand.

Edward tried not to look too put out, but I could sense it hurt his pride a little bit to let my brother beat him. Like I've said before, I've never seen anyone as fast as Matt.

Once it was our turn to hit, Matt jumped up first to face Emmett, who took over pitching duties. He gave Matt an evil grin before firing a pitch past him; Charlie had made the wise decision to sit this game out. I stood in as catcher for both teams – and had to admit that Emmett's right arm could rival a navy canon for the amount of power he had.

Matt knocked the next pitch far and high into the forest. Carlisle was on it as Matt stood there, admiring his work.

"Um, Matt," I said. "I think you're supposed to be running now."

"Huh?" He replied. "Oh! Right!"

He took off around the bases and landed back on home plate in one blink of the eye. Carlisle was back into the clearing almost as quickly, though. He produced the ball and gave Matt a crooked smile.

"Sorry! Not far enough!"

"Aww! Dang!" Matt called playfully. "I thought I had you, man!"

Just then, Alice went rigid from her place in between me and Jasper.

"What's wrong? What do you see?" Jasper asked.

"She sees people coming," Edward said. "Others like us."

**Sorry to leave it at that, but I want to save the nomads for another day…**


	8. Chapter 8

Edward's news startled both me and Matt

**Things will start to veer a bit further away from the book in this chapter – and chapters to come, as well. And, yes, I am picturing the nomads as they appear in the movie (because that Cam Gigandet is one sexy man!!)**

Edward's news startled both me and Matt.

We need to get Charlie out of here, he thought.

I nodded and turned to Edward, "We're taking Charlie back home."

Alice shook her head at this, "It won't do any good; his scent – and all of your scents for that matter – will remain in the clearing long after you've left. These vampires will be able to track you all down with little difficulty."

"We can take care of ourselves," Matt said, walking to tower over Alice – this caused Jasper to move to Alice's side defensively.

I stepped in to calm things down, "We just want to get our dad out of here. We can defend ourselves from our house."

"No!" Edward shouted suddenly. "I don't want you anywhere I can't see you – don't be foolish; you both are strong, but you've never fought vampires. Especially not hungry, nomadic vampires – they're the most dangerous kind."

"So, what is the plan then?" Charlie asked, joining the discussion.

Edward turned to Alice, "How long do we have?"

"They'll be entering the clearing in about two minutes," she replied.

"We'll just have to wait and hope they pass through without any trouble," Carlisle said. "Hopefully we can reason with them."

I sighed and decided to put my faith in Carlisle; Edward walked up behind me and took my hand, squeezing it in reassurance. After a moment, three elaborately dressed figures walked gracefully into the clearing – two men and one woman.

_Geez, that's subtle, Matt thought._

I turned and gave him a look before returning to the newcomers, who were starting to approach us – their eyes were all a shocking, blood-red. Matt and I instinctively surrounded Charlie, and Edward, Alice and Emmett followed suit. Carlisle walked towards the visitors.

"Hello," he greeted. "How are you all this fine day?"

"We're just great," said one of the men—he was about as tall as Edward, but with beautiful ebony skin and long, black dreadlocks. "I'm Laurent, and these are my friends James and Victoria."

"What brings you to Washington?" Carlisle asked.

"Just passing through," Laurent smiled. "Didn't expect to find a whole family of our kind here. Who are all of you?"

"I am Carlisle Cullen," he began. "And this is my family: Esme, Rosalie, Jasper, Edward, Emmett, Bella, Matt and Charlie."

Carlisle was most likely hoping they would accept that we were a part of the family and move on; but the one called James kept staring at me with his scary, red eyes. My heart started beating faster, and Edward began to rub my back in an effort to soothe me. But I remained on edge as this other vampire started to move in our direction—he was as tall as Laurent, with long blond hair pulled back in a dirty ponytail and his chest exposed under a black leather jacket.

Edward started moving himself in front of me as James circled around to where we stood. I heard a low growl emit from his chest that shocked me – Edward was always so gently, now he seemed like a lion ready to attack.

"She is one of you?" James asked in a sinister voice. "And these two here, as well? I don't think so...they smell like humans to me."

"I never said they were like us," Carlisle corrected, coming to stand by Edward. "Just part of our family; extended family, if you will."

"Indeed?" Laurent asked. "You are the strangest of our kind I have ever seen! Associating with humans? How are you able to control yourselves?"

"It takes work," Carlisle replied. "But, if one has the patience, one can adapt to an animal diet and survive readily."

James released a low chuckle that sent chills down my spine, "Why simply survive when you can taste blood as sweet as hers? I've never smelled blood so sweet before."

Edward had positioned himself fully in front of me at this point—I almost wished he'd forget about me and concentrate on protecting Charlie; though, the nomads didn't seem to be as interested in my dad as they were in me. The female, a tall, red-head named Victoria, walked over and stood next to James, "I smell it, too, love; she will be delicious."

Emmett moved forward and acted as a wall in front of the rest of us—I hadn't realized how imposing he was until now.

"You're not touching any of our family," he growled. "I'll rip you both apart if you harm so much as a hair on Bella's head."

But neither James nor Victoria seemed afraid of Emmett; I think they both relished the idea of fighting him, and the rest of the Cullens for that matter. They probably don't meet too many of their kind who try and protect humans. I could feel Matt getting anxious beside me.

_This is really not good, Bella! We need to get Charlie out of here, now!!_

_I know, but we can't just run! They'll just chase us; and carrying Charlie will slow us down._

_You grab Charlie and head for home; I'll stay behind with the Cullens and take care of these guys. I just want Dad to be as far away as possible._

_Are you sure?_

As if he could suddenly hear what Matt and I were thinking, Edward turned slightly towards me and whispered, "Just stay put." I nodded.

_You're going to listen to him over me now? Matt asked._

_He's been in situations like this before, you haven't. Trust that they know what they're doing, please?_

_Fine, but if that blond freak gets any closer to Charlie, I'm ripping his damn head off!!_

We all just stood there for what seemed like hours; both sides refusing to back down, though I could sense that Laurent wasn't as gung-ho to kill us all as his cohorts were. I looked him in the eye, pleading with him to reason with his clan – he seemed to understand.

"Look, why don't we just go on our way?" He asked, turning to James and Victoria. "There are plenty of people to hunt, why do we need these three?"

James gave him a murderous glare, "I'm not leaving without her; she'll be the greatest meal I've ever had – and I deserve it."

Victoria smiled seductively at him, "You'll let me have a taste, won't you?"

"Perhaps," he smiled back; he looked back at me, his red eyes boring into me with intensity. He crouched down and looked like he was about to strike when Edward flew at him. The two brawled, but it was more like a dance really – each spinning around each other, but neither actually touching the other. They were both too quick to get a hold of the opponent.

Meanwhile, Victoria decided to try her luck at me while everyone was distracted by the fight; she stepped back and leapt at me, and found herself dangling in mid-air.

"What?! What's going on? How is this happening?" She cried and attempted to struggle. I concentrated harder and forced her limbs to stop flailing about. "James! Laurent! Help me!!"

James' concentration was pulled away from Edward for a split second as Victoria started screaming, enough time for Emmett to pick him up by his shoulders like a toddler. James kicked at Emmett, but the contact made by his foot only produced a muted thud – Emmett showed no signs of pain.

Matt walked up behind Emmett and tapped him on the shoulder, "Mind if I try?"

Emmett gave him an incredulous look, but Matt just smiled reassuringly, "Just toss him into the air a bit."

Once James was soaring above us, attempting to flip himself over all of us and escape, Matt focused on him and halted him in mid-somersault. He hung upside-down above our heads, it was almost comical.

"What's going on? How can you do this?" James asked as Matt just stared up and smiled smugly at him.

"These are not just any humans; in fact, they don't even seem to need our help taking care of you," Carlisle said. "So, it appears you have two choices: you can a) walk away and pretend this never happened; or b) continue to try and hurt our family – in which case, we will have to destroy all of you. What will it be?"

Victoria let out a frustrated, feral scream; James simply floated there, his face contorted in rage. Carlisle turned to ask Laurent if he would speak for his friends, but the third nomad was no where to be found.

"You have exactly 30 seconds to decide," Emmett boomed, reaching up and grabbing James by his long ponytail; he gave it a good yank to emphasize his point.

"We're leaving! Right, James?" Victoria cried. "We won't hurt any of you precious humans, just let us go!"

"Ask nicely," Matt sneered.

"Please," she begged, "Let us go?"

Matt nodded to me and we both released them at the same moment. They both landed, cat-like, on the ground in front of us – James immediately resumed his attack stance, but Victoria grabbed his shoulder and started pulling him away.

"Come on, James! Let's just go; we'll find food somewhere else!"

James reluctantly stood and walked away from us, his eyes still focused on me – like he was trying to tell me this wasn't over.

"Bye the way," Carlisle called as they were at the edge of the clearing. "If we hear of any unexplained murders in the area of Forks any time soon, we will come looking for you."

Charlie drove us back to the house at a break-neck speed.

"Bella! I want you to stay away from that boy, and his family," he yelled over his shoulder at me. "And that goes for you too, Matt! No one is to associate with the Cullens, do you hear me?"

"Calm down, Dad," Matt replied. "This thing that happened today was not the Cullen's fault; those vampires could have just as easily stumbled upon us at the house. In fact, we've probably saved a lot of lives by being in the clearing today – those vampires aren't going to do any hunting in Forks, if they know what's good for them."

Matt was hardly ever the voice of reason, so I didn't even attempt to hide my surprise at his concise, logical statement. And Charlie seemed just as impressed.

"You're right, I'm sorry; I just overreacted," he said, taking a deep breath. "It's just my dad-reflex."

We both smiled at him, I reached up and hugged him from my position in the backseat.

"And we appreciate that, Dad! We love you."

We all sat down to dinner, and then I decided to spend the rest of the night reading – I took out my worn-out Gogol and lost myself until I realized it was about 11 p.m. and I was still in my clothes from the day.

I grabbed a nightgown and walked into the bathroom to change clothes and brush my teeth. When I walked back into my room, I had to stop myself from screaming at the sight of Edward sitting in the chair in the corner.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed as I resumed normal breathing.

He smiled, "Do you want me to leave?"

"I didn't say that," I said, a bit too quickly. "You just startled me."

"Sorry," He said, standing up to close the distance between us. "Usually when I get here at this time, you're asleep."

I stepped back and stared at him in disbelief, "You come here while I'm sleeping?"

He had the grace to look sheepish, "Yes."

"How often?"

"Just about every night."

"Why?"

"I like to watch you sleep," he stated simply. "You talk in your sleep, you know?"

My heart almost stopped, "What do I talk about?"

"Different things," He said, sitting on my bed. "You talk about your family, school…and me."

That's what I was afraid of, "What do I say about you?"

He smiled gently, "At first, it was how much I infuriated you; but recently, you've been saying that you love me."

I sat on the edge of my bed and processed this information – Edward Cullen, the boy who had occupied almost every thought since I'd moved to Forks, was sneaking into my room at night to watch me sleep. And he heard me confess my love for him; something I have been too afraid to voice when conscious.

He pulled me closer to him and kissed me on my left temple. "Please don't be upset with me. I didn't mean to frighten you, I was only hoping to be close to you – any way I could. And, if I could dream; know that I would dream of you."

I turned my face to his to find him gazing at me adoringly. It made my heart flutter uncontrollably to see that flawless face just inches from mine – those golden eyes boring into mine.

I closed my eyes and leaned into him until my lips touched his softly. We sat for a few moments, kissing chastely until I reached up to tangle my hands in his hair – his soft, silky hair. My mouth instinctively opened as his tongue traced the lines of my lips; once I had allowed him access he grasped my shoulders and pushed me towards the pillows.

He hovered over me and trailed his hands down to the hem of my nightgown; I felt his cold fingers brush lightly against the outside of my thighs and gasped against his lips. He pulled away, slightly, to gauge my level of discomfort, but I held onto the back of his and brought his lips back to mine.

These were all feelings I've never experienced before, and I never wanted him to stop touching me like this; particularly when his hands wandered up towards the white panties I was wearing. His long fingers caressed my hips for a moment before I felt his right hand move away – before I had a chance to moan in protest, I could feel this hand slip down the front of my panties.

It was all making my head swim – the kissing, the caressing and, now, the feeling of Edwards cool, long fingers venturing down to the very center of me.

Suddenly, we both stopped as we heard a noise in the hall – and a horrifying thought hit me: could Matt hear my thoughts right now? Is he still awake? Or Charlie? Can either of them hear what's going on in here?

I looked to Edward to see he was most likely thinking the same thing.

"Perhaps we should continue this another time," he whispered.

I nodded as he rolled us over onto our sides and pulled me close to rest his chin on the top of my head.

"Will you stay here tonight?" I asked hopefully.

He chuckled lightly, "I'll stay here every night, if you like."

I nestled closer into his chest, "I'd like that very much."

**I'm thinking this is going to start combining aspects of all three books – what do you think? And what would you like to see?**


	9. Chapter 9

After a couple of months, we were all thoroughly convinced that James and Victoria had left for good This is a lighter chapter – darker stuff to come, though.

After a couple of months, we were all thoroughly convinced that James and Victoria had left for good. Though, I had a suspicion that Edward – who was now coming over every night – was still staying up and keeping watch while I slept; even though I told him it was probably not necessary.

"We haven't seen or heard from them since that day in the clearing," I reminded him one night as we lie in bed talking. "And Alice said she doesn't see anything unfortunate happening anytime soon. Just relax, OK?"

He shook his head gently, "Just because Alice hasn't seen it yet, doesn't mean it's not coming. James is a deceptive vampire, Bella; he will strike when our guard is finally down."

I sighed and snuggled closer to his chest – there would be no reasoning with him tonight. And besides, I wasn't in the mood to argue; I was too engrossed in the feeling of his arms around me. I was sure that any normal girl might find the icy feel of Edward's skin to be less than desirable – his amazing beauty notwithstanding. Myself, the cold doesn't bother me all that much; in fact, it's almost refreshing at times.

What amazed me more than anything, though, was how natural it was beginning to feel to have him next to me when I wake up in the morning. It was an experience I never imagined I'd have; part of me had dreamed of it, from time to time, but I never believed I could have a normal life. Not that I'd exactly call what Edward and I have "normal."

Matt had, of course, caught on to these sleepovers that Edward and I were having; but, he agreed to keep things to himself.

_And, I'll try to stay out of your head as best I can, he teased one day. But, it would help if you keep all of that lovey-dovey stuff to a minimum._

_Jealous?_ I shot back.

No, he spat, defensively, Just a little creeped out at the thought of my sister in the next room necking with her boyfriend.

_Necking? What does that mean?_

_I don't know, I just heard it somewhere; I think it means to make out or something._

_Sounds weird to me._

_In any case, he continued, just have a little mercy on my fragile mind, please? Sometimes your thoughts border on disturbing._

_Disturbing? How?_

Matt hesitated, I could tell he didn't want to discuss this with me.

_You...think about having sex with him...a lot!_

I felt my face start to reach a scorching temperature; I had been thinking about that quite often. In fact, I'd get distracted by that thought whenever Edward and I were together. Despite my limited experience in the area, I imagined a great number of scenarios that we could get into; and I couldn't understand where any of it was coming from. I've never been the type of girl to go in for the romance novels, but somehow I still envisioned myself being taken by Edward in some erotic, yet unrealistic way.

Or maybe not so unrealistic; after all, Edward was more than capable of doing just about anything he wanted to with me...so long as I allow him. And I wanted him to do all of these things to me; but I could tell he was hesitant at times. As often as I have shown him that I am not fragile, he still insists on being ridiculously overprotective of me.

"I know you're strong, Bella; but remember, my attraction to your blood could one day have dire consequences," he told me one night. "You haven't been witness to my more animalistic side; and I never want you to be."

"I still think you're being absurd," I replied, pouting – a habit I was becoming rather good at. "You said you would at least try to push yourself a little further."

"Do you want me to kill you?" He hissed. "It's almost as if you have no concern for your well-being whatsoever! And you say I'm absurd?"

I was about to rollout of bed when he grabbed my arm and pulled me back down; I was too tired to put up a fight.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," he whispered in my ear as his hand stroked the side of my arm gently. "It just scares me sometimes; not only the idea of hurting you, but how much I love you and how badly I do want to be with you. It puts you at great risk to have a vampire so unequivocally enamored of you."

"I could kill you too, you know?" I countered after a moment of silence. "I've never been in this kind of situation, either; who's to say whether or not I can control myself when I'm lost in the throws of passion? But...I still want to be with you more than anything in this world."

I turned so we were facing each other; his golden eyes glowed in the faint moonlight and I felt my heart skip a beat when his face began to contort into a gentle smile.

"You know that I love you, right?" He asked softly. "You know that I want you just as much you want me?"

"Yes," I replied before reaching up to kiss him. "And, maybe I'm being impatient; but all of this is so new to me. I've not been treated as a regular teenage girl and I never had a mother to teach me anything about the opposite sex. I guess I just get a little tunnel-visioned when it comes to you and me together."

He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "This is all new to me too, my love. And, I promise things will get easier – we just need time."

"You're right," I said.

"Now sleep."

"You're going to stay up on my balcony all night again, aren't you?"

"Yes."

I shook my head and sighed. "Goodnight."

School was drawing to a close, and prom was mere days away. Edward and I hadn't really spoken about attending, and strangely enough I actually wanted to go. Especially after Angela's excitement got the better of me.

"It will be so much fun! You get dressed up, have a fancy dinner and then spend all night dancing!" She explained as we studied together one night. "You're going with Edward, right?"

"We haven't discussed it," I admitted.

"What? It's next week, Bella! You have to go and pick out a dress and figure out how you're going to do your hair!"

"Well, I'll talk to Edward tonight and see what he thinks, I guess. I don't know if he's the sort who goes in for that type of thing."

"Oh, boys usually aren't into these things," she laughed. "It's more of a girl thing; he just needs to put a tux on and take you."

Out of nowhere, the phone rang. I excused myself from Angela and answered it.

"Bella? It's Alice; how are you?"

"I'm good, what's up?"

"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind going on a little shopping expedition with me tomorrow. I needed to get a few things in Port Angeles and Rosalie is busy."

"Oh, sure; that sounds like fun," I said; I was glad Alice and I were becoming closer, especially since she meant so much to Edward.

"Great, I'll pick you up at 8 sharp!"

"See you then, bye!"

Edward came over that night and I debated asking him about the prom. It just seemed like such a silly thing to talk about, and I didn't want to sound absurd asking him if he would take me. He is my boyfriend – to put it mildly – it should go without saying that we are attending the prom together, right?

Before I could bring the subject up, Edward turned to me. "So, you and Alice are going shopping tomorrow?"

"Yes, she said she needed to go to Port Angeles and wanted company."

He nodded, "Good, good; I like that you two get along so well."

"Well, Alice is easy to get along with," I said.

He smiled and kissed my forehead. I lay there, deliberating – should I ask him now? He sensed my hesitation.

"Is there something you wanted to talk about?" He asked.

"…No; it can wait, I'm tired," I lied.

He didn't seem fully convinced, but simply kissed me gently and said goodnight.

Alice was he usual chipper self in the morning; she stood at the door, bouncing excitedly and holding a cup of coffee which she handed to me.

"I'm actually not a big fan of coffee," I said, sniffing the coffee and recoiling at the smell.

"Come on, play along, Bella! This is what girlfriends do on a shopping trip, right? Buy each other coffee and what-not?"

"I wouldn't know," I laughed. "I'm a novice to all of this."

"True; so, ready to go?"

"Yes, let me just tell my dad," I said, walking into the kitchen to find Charlie reading a paper – Alice trailed in behind me.

"We're going now, Dad."

"OK, have fun you two," he said, smiling at Alice. He really seemed to like her – of course, how could he not?

Once we got to Port Angeles, Alice drove to the Armory Square mall – a shopping center filled with a plethora of different stores. I was in awe of it; I had never been in a mall before and it was a little much to take in – the smell of food, the rush of the crowd and the sounds of children running around and playing. Alice smiled and linked her arm with mine.

"Don't worry, I won't let you get lost," she said.

She led me to a store filled with colorful dresses.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

"Solving global warming," she teased. "What do you think? We're dress shopping."

"But, these aren't very practical dresses," I countered. "Wouldn't you rather find something simpler?"

"You don't do simple at prom, Bella; you go over-the-top."

"Prom? Who's going to prom?"

She gave me a confused look. "We all are."

"Who's we?"

"You, me, Jasper, Edward, Emmett and Rosalie."

"Since when?"

She was beyond incredulous at this point, "Bella! Since you started dating Edward! I mean, you knew this was coming, right?"

"No," I said. "Edward never asked me."

"Your boyfriend doesn't have to ask you, Bella," she said. "It's just common knowledge that you go together."

"Well, how am I supposed to know that? I've never been to a regular school before – let alone a prom."

She shook her head and laughed, "For one of the smartest people I know, you are so naïve! It's so cute!"

I narrowed my eyes in her direction, but that just made her laugh harder. She pulled me into the shop and started collecting dresses. Some of her selections were not exactly my style.

"Those are all for you, right?"

She raised an eyebrow at me, "I already have my dress, Bella; today is all about you."

I sighed and let her push me into a dressing room with the dozen or so dresses she had picked out. The sign on the door said only 6 per customer, but Alice managed to get the girl to let me take more in with me.

"The power you have over people is astonishing," I said, picking up a yellow gown and holding it up to myself in the mirror. It was a long, straight dress that gathered just below the bust line – a nice style, but I didn't like the color.

"I don't like this one," I said.

"Well, come out and let me see, anyway," she called through the door.

"I don't have it on."

"Bella! You have to try all of them on; it's the only way you'll really know what looks good on you."

After what was probably the longest, most frustrated sigh I've ever released and disrobed. I pulled the dress on and walked out, standing in front of Alice.

"Turn," she ordered.

I twirled once and waited expectantly.

"You're right; that's not the one."

I walked back in and grabbed a mass of reddish-orange material; I put it on to find that it clung nicely to my body and had a very flattering neckline. However, as soon as I shifted, I noticed the slit on the side came all the way up to my hip.

I flung the door open, "I don't think so!"

"Why not? That looks fabulous on you!"

I opened the slit to revel all of my left leg.

"So? You have great legs, why not show them off? Edward will love it!"

I crossed my arms and gave her a withering glare.

"OK, then," she said, throwing her arms up in defeat. "Next one."

This one was pink with silver details – nice, but still not for me; then a short, green, draping number; a lavender dress that wasn't so bad, and so on. But, nothing seemed to scream, "Pick me!"

That is, until Alice threw some dark blue silk over the top of the door, "This is it, right here."

I unzipped the back and stepped into it; she as right – form-fitting in all the right places, with a lovely neckline that, thankfully, didn't reveal too much. And the color was my favorite shade of blue, mostly because Edward has frequently told me how much he likes me in dark blue.

I walked out and Alice started bouncing around again, "I. Am. A. Genius!!"

I smiled and walked back in to take the dress off and pay for it; when I came back out, Alice had a box in her hands.

"You wear a size seven, right?"

"What?"

"Shoes; you're a size seven?"

"Y-Yes… why?"

She took a pair of silver sandals out of the box and handed them to me – they had four inch heels and seemed like they could easily snap an ankle.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope, these will go great with that dress."

"I can't wear those; I'll roll an ankle for sure."

"Bella, you have super human abilities and government training – I think you can handle a little pair of heels."

"Fine," I said, grabbing them and trying them on; they fit very nicely so I threw them back in the box and went up to pay for them and the dress.

I set all of my items on the counter near the register; suddenly, Alice called my attention to a pair of earrings in a display.

"These would be perfect," she said, holding up a pair of sparkly, dangling earrings.

"My ears aren't pierced," I said.

"Well, then how about a necklace?" She took a silver chain with a heart pendent and handed it to me.

"See how it looks," she said, turning me to the mirror. I opened the clasp and put it around my neck – it was nice, but I thought the dress and shoes were enough for the day; after all, it was Charlie's money I was spending.

Or so I thought; as I turned around, Alice was handing a credit card to the girl at the register.

"Hey!" I said, moving to stand next to her. "That's not yours' to pay for, Alice."

She shushed me, "It's my gift."

"For?"

"No reason," she stated simply. "Just wanted to."

I sighed loudly again, these Cullens sure know how to be pushy and high-handed.

Prom night

Alice sat me down in front of the mirror in her bathroom and began torturing me in ways I never imagined possible. She pulled my hair into these unbearable little rollers – or so she called them – and then started plucking away at my eyebrows with a pair of tweezers.

Now, I have a high pain tolerance; but this was beyond painful, it was excruciating. Alice should work for the CIA.

"Stop fidgeting," she ordered.

"You're hurting me," I complained. "Do you need to pluck every hair off of my face?"

"Don't me melodramatic! It's just a few, stray hairs."

"It feels like you're trying to get rid of my whole eyebrow! And, I think I need that!"

"Beauty is pain, Bella!"

"Says the girl who doesn't feel pain!"

She chuckled as she started to remove the rollers, unwinding each so the hair fell into a nice, thick curl. I had to admit, I looked really pretty.

After Alice finished with my hair and makeup, she helped me into my dress and I put on my shoes while she got ready in record time. Stepping out of her bathroom, looking like a million dollars.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Can I come in?" Edward asked.

"Yes," Alice called, taking her shoes and sliding them on; I straightened up on the bed as he turned to look at me – he looked amazing in his suit, and yet he wore it so casually it seemed as ordinary as any other piece of clothing he owns.

He stepped in and settled himself next to me, "I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful in all my life."  
I started blushing, "I was thinking the same thing."

He smiled and kissed me gently on the top of my head. We both turned to Alice, who gave us a smile, "You two are so cute; it reminds me of when I first met Jasper."

"I don't think I've ever heard that story," I said. "How did you two meet?"

"That is a story for another time," Alice said, looking at the clock. "We are going to be late."

The prom was actually fun – aside from the dirty looks Edward and I received from just about everyone. Mike, Eric Yorkie and Tyler Crowley all gave Edward their best death glares, while Lauren and a handful of other girls shot me looks of jealousy and contempt.

_Humph! Must be nice to date a rich Cullen, then you can get a designer dress for a small-town prom! Lauren thought._

I looked down at my gown and reminded myself to give Alice a good talking to for tricking me into a designer label.

Edward and I danced around until I noticed Matt in the center of a circle of girls; I shook my head and made my way to the edge of said circle.

I thought you weren't coming, I thought.

_And miss this? Coming without a date was actually a great idea! All these girls want to dance with me now._

_And, of course, their dates are none too thrilled about that!_

_Whatever, if they can't keep them interested it's not my fault._

I shook my head and looked to Edward who had caught on to the situation; he smiled and twirled me around in the air. Suddenly, I heard an eerily familiar voice in the vicinity and went rigid.

_Where is she? _The voice asked.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked as he placed me back down.

"Someone's here that I recognize, but it's still pretty fuzzy," I said searching the dance floor. I scanned the whole room until I hit the door, where Jacob Black stood – looking very uncomfortable.

"I'll be right back," I told Edward as I walked towards Jacob.

He saw me when I was about twenty feet away and met me half-way.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi Jacob, long time, no see," I said.

"I know," He said. "I told you I don't get out of La Push much."

_Not unless Dad gives me a mission, it seems._

"What's up?" I asked, curious to know what this mission was.

"Umm, can we dance and talk for a minute?"

"Sure," I replied, moving towards a more secluded area of the dance floor.

He put his arms around me and dove into his "mission."

"You know how we talked about the Cullens that one day?"

"Yes," I said.

"Well, I guess our fathers have been talking and your dad told mine that you are friends with them now."

"And?"

"And," he continued, hesitantly. "My dad thinks the Cullens are dangerous – he tried to talk to Charlie, but your dad wouldn't listen. So, my dad paid me 20 to come here and ask you to not see them – for your own good."

I took my arms down from around his neck and glared at him, "Your dad really needs to mind his own business."

Jacob held up his hands, "Hey! Don't shoot the messenger! I don't believe any of this nonsense."

_Although, _he thought_, I wouldn't mind if you stopped seeing Edward Cullen – give a nice, Indian boy a shot._

I ignored his inner commentary and said, "I know; it's not your fault! Just, tell Billy that the Cullens aren't dangerous; and that I know what I'm doing."

Jacob nodded and turned to the door.

Edward was at my side in a split second, "Who was that?"

I turned to find him glaring at the back of Jacob's head – it almost gave me a little thrill to know that he was jealous.

"Jacob," I said. "His father is a Quileute elder; and he's trying to keep me away from you and your family."

"I heard that part," Edward said in a low voice. "I was just wondering what this insolent little boy was doing, daring to dance with my girlfriend."

That sounded a bit too possessive for my liking. "We're just friends; and he needed to talk to me."

Edward continued to glare in the direction Jacob had gone until I pulled myself from his grasp.

"Come on," I said. "Let's just forget about this, OK?"

He shook himself from his hateful thoughts and re-joined me on the dance floor.

After the dance, we all headed back to the Cullen house; I told Charlie I was going to stay the night with Alice and Rosalie. Although, as soon as we were inside the house, I found myself in Edward's bedroom – we began a passionate round of kissing that left all the work Alice put into my hair earlier for naught.

Edward had rid himself of his coat, tie and shoes; I had removed the sandals Alice bought.

I started for Edward's shirt when his hands caught mine. "Wait…I wanted to talk to you before we make any rash decisions."

I pulled back and looked at him curiously. He brought us back to a sitting position and settled me onto his lap; I played with the top button on his shirt nervously.

"I know we're dangerously close to that edge – where we both want to take the next step in our relationship," he began. "And, as much as I want to take that step, I also want to do it right."

I nodded when he looked into my eyes earnestly.

"Ours is not a normal relationship – to our fellow students, we're just boyfriend and girlfriend; but, we both know that we are so much more than that. It's almost as though we were destined to be together – like we were made for each other. And, as such, I want to make one stipulation before we get any more intimate."

I continued to stare at the button on his shirt, worried about where this was headed.

"Before we make love, I want a promise from you," he said, pulling something from his coat pocket. "I want you to promise that, after we graduate next spring, we will be married."

He opened the box to reveal a ring, and I was shocked speechless: Marriage; out of all the things I never imagined I'd ever be capable in my life, I think that topped the list. Of course, that was because I never thought I'd be in a situation where someone would actually ask me.

He waited for my answer patiently – and that reminded me how patient he was in every aspect of our relationship. It was one of many things I loved most about him. In fact, there weren't too many things I didn't love about him – and he clearly loved me. I took the ring out of the box and held it up, looking at it lovingly.

"It was my mother's," he said, taking the ring and placing it on my left ring-finger. "My real mother; I inherited many things from her and gave a lot of them to Esme and Alice. But, I always kept this – her engagement ring – in hopes that I would, one day, meet a woman who captured my heart the way you did."

I wasn't concentrating on the ring anymore, just the love in his golden eyes. I leaned in and kissed his lips with every ounce of passion I possess. He returned it with an equal amount of fervor.

"Yes," I said. "I will marry you."

He smiled against my lips, "Thank you, my love."

Next up: first times and visits from our friends in Italy… 


	10. Chapter 10

I decided to put the ring Edward gave me on a chain; that way, I could wear it at all times without Charlie -- or anyone else On with the show…

I decided to put the ring Edward gave me on a necklace; that way, I could wear it at all times without Charlie – or anyone else – noticing.

It was still pretty incredible to think that just a short time ago I was living an isolated existence, just watching others live normal lives, and now I have the opportunity to experience life on a grand scale. It was a bit overwhelming.

I think Edward sensed that it was all a bit much for me to take in, so he attempted to down-play every aspect of marriage to make things easier for me. Alice, on the other hand, made a big deal out of everything – even what invitations we should send out.

"Alice," I whined. "I haven't even told my dad yet! Plus, we haven't set a date, so cool it with the invitations, OK?"

"Fine," she relented. "But, we can still talk about some very important matters—like dresses and colors and such."

There was, of course, no arguing with Alice when it came to the subject of dresses, so we sat down and she showed me some designs she was working on herself. She was adamant that I choose a ball gown style, strap-less dress. I was thinking something simpler—but Alice scoffed at that idea.

"You only get married once, Bella...theoretically...and you want to look spectacular when you do."

It was probably best to put my faith in Alice, since she's lived so many lifetimes – compared to my one – and she most likely knew what she was talking about. She showed me the sketch again, and I had to admit it was lovely – it had a corset-like type and a full-gathered skirt that wasn't too bulky, so it didn't look like it would swallow me whole.

Of course, planning for the wedding was a piece of cake compared to actually telling people about it; Matt, obviously had figured it out on his own, but Charlie was another matter. I'm sure he wants me to be happy – but he also wants me to be safe. We all were sitting down for dinner when Matt started badgering me to spill the news.

_Just get it over with! It's pretty much all downhill from there, you know?_

_Yes, but that's a very high precipice to start out from! Charlie's not going to like this on a variety of levels – beginning with the fact that we're supposed to be in hiding._

_So is Edward, Matt thought, it could, possibly make it easier for you to live a life of hiding with somebody who has become so adept at it._

I was taken aback by this notion; Edward and I would have to stay constantly on the move if we were married. And, since we share similar abilities, it would be easier to see danger coming. I turned towards Charlie and decided to let it all out.

"Dad? There's something I need to tell you," I said.

Charlie put his fork down and looked at me, "Yes, Bella?"

"Umm, you know that life here hasn't always been easy for me – and that there's really been one person – aside from you two – who has made life here more...bearable for me."

"You mean Edward," he stated with a nod. "What about him?"

"Well, he asked me something a couple weeks ago..."

"Bella! Are you trying to tell me he asked you to marry him? And that you said yes?"

I just nodded; I'd lost the ability to speak. Charlie's face turned beet red as he stared down at his plate of half-eaten food; Matt and I braced ourselves for the explosion. But, Charlie managed to calm himself down.

"You've always been the responsible one, the one I can count on to be so steadfast; and now you pull this? What are you thinking, Bella? You can't marry Edward – it's not possible on any level, and you know it."

"How is it not possible? We love each other, that's all I need to know," I said, starting to become emotional.

Charlie sighed and looked up at me, "There needs to be more to it than that; you are trying to remain underground, Bella. The Agency is still looking for us, have you thought about that."

"As a matter of fact I have," I said. "And, as Matt has recently pointed out to me, Edward and I are both in hiding. The Cullen's can't stay in one place for more than a few years—if Edward and were married, we could help keep each other hidden."

"Yes, but have you considered the reason Edward has to stay hidden, Bella? He's a vampire! He's going to remain the same age for all of eternity, while you get old and die; sure, you'll live longer than an average human, but maybe only 50 or 60 extra years, tops. Do you really want to put Edward – or yourself through that?"

I looked to Matt who seemed to run out of advice for me; he shrugged and gave me a helpless look. I turned back to Charlie defiantly. "I could become a vampire."

Charlie finally let all of his rage out at that statement, "Are you out of your mind?! Become a vampire? Bella, you don't even like to watch me eat a steak, how are you ever going to bring yourself to kill animals with your bare hands?"

"It will be different," I countered. "I won't be who I am right now, I'll be a vampire. And I think I'll be able to adapt; I was able to adapt to this life, wasn't I?"

Charlie shook his head, "Did Edward suggest changing you? Or is this something you've thought of on your own?"

"On my own, but I'm sure Edward will agree with me."

"Bella…"

"Charlie stop!" I only referred to him by his first name when I was truly frustrated. "I'm going to marry Edward and that's final! If I have to move out and live with the Cullens, I will."

Charlie stood up in a fury, knocking his chair over in the process; he stormed upstairs, leaving me and Matt to sit there in shock.

_Now you've done it, Matt thought. Charlie never gets that mad!_

_We're not children anymore, Matt! He needs to stop treating us as such. If this is what it takes, then so be it._

Matt sat back and looked at me thoughtfully: _You really love Edward that much? _

_Yes._

_Then I guess you have to do what you have to do._

I left an hour later without even telling Charlie goodbye or coming up with some excuse – like having a sleep-over with Alice; no need to keep up that pretense anymore. I was going to be with the man I love, and Charlie was just going to have to accept that.

Alice and Edward were standing on the porch when I drove up, they both looked worried.

"Are you OK?" Alice asked. "I saw you getting into a huge fight with Charlie; is he very upset?"

I sighed, "Yes, but he'll get over it; he needs to understand that I'm not a child. Hell, I haven't been a child for a very long time now."

Edward approached me, solemnly, and took my hands in his. "Bella, I really don't want to be the reason you stop talking to your father. You may think you're fine now, but it will start to affect you, eventually. You're more sensitive than you let on."

I shook my head, "As long as I have you, I'll be OK. And, I still have Matt; he seems to understand how I'm feeling. I think he'll help Charlie to come around."

He sighed and led me into the house; he held on to my left hand as he guided me up to his room. It seemed a bit different, and that's when I noticed the big, very comfortable-looking bed in the middle of the room. He replaced the big, wrought iron frame with a more subtle cherry wood. And his duvet and sheets were now a dark blue, in place of the previous black and gold.

And the room smelled of freesia – a fragrance he always said reminded him of me. It was almost as if he knew I would be here tonight; I sensed Alice may have had a hand in this.

"You got a new bed frame," I said.

"Hmm-Hmm," he replied, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. "Do you like it?"

"Yes; but I suppose I'd like it anyway, considering it's your room."

He chuckled and turned me to face him; his golden eyes were hooded. My heart started to beat faster at what that could mean.

We both leaned in slowly, carefully, for a kiss that began gently then turned more passionate by the second. He lifted me off of the ground and carried me to rest on the bed. He must have replaced the mattress too, because this bed was so much softer than the one he had before.

We crawled across the bed until my head rested on the pillows; his lips continued to search mine as I reached up and began unbuttoning his shirt. Once every button was opened, I pushed the material apart to reveal his perfect, alabaster chest. For how slender he is, he has an incredible amount of muscle – particularly in his chest and shoulders.

I ran my hands down the front of him and rested them on his hips; he pulled me up slightly so he could lift my shirt over my head. Then he quickly unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans and yanked them down my legs with little difficulty – leaving me in my simple, white bra and panties. I've never been this exposed to someone who wasn't a doctor; he smiled, sensing my slight discomfort.

"It's OK, Bella; you're so beautiful."

He bent his head to kiss and lick at my collarbone, and then continued down my chest towards my navel. He gently brushed his tongue over the bellybutton as his hands caressed my hips. It tickled a bit and I couldn't stop myself from letting out a soft giggle – this just gave him incentive to do it some more. He flicked his over my navel – and the rest of my torso – over and over again. While he had me distracted by this, he slid my panties down my legs.

Once I realized I was only in my bra, I got self-conscious again; especially when Edward moved back up and unhooked my bra with ease. He pulled the straps from my shoulders and there I lay, completely exposed to him. I tried to cover myself with my arms, but he wouldn't allow it, "Please, don't cover yourself up in front of me. I love looking at you."

That eased some of my nervousness; and it also helped that he stood back and let me finish undressing him. I took my time peeling every piece of clothing off of him, taking in all of his perfect body.

I became increasingly hesitant when I slid my thumbs under the waistband of his boxers and started to push them off of his hips. I closed my eyes until the garment was past his knees and he kicked them off the rest of the way. I stood back up, eyes still closed; Edward started laughing.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

I grimaced, "I'm just nervous; I've never seen…one…before."

He went silent and I opened my eyes to find him staring at me with his hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh out loud at me. I dropped my gaze, embarrassed; he lifted my chin so my eyes met his once more.

"I'm sorry, my love; you're just too cute for words sometimes."

I gave him a weak smile and let my eyes wander again – down the front of his chest, down to his navel and, finally, to the place I had been dreading – and, yet, most curious about. Not knowing much about a man's anatomy, outside of the technical aspects of it, he seemed to be built fairly well. I'd say he was about 7 or 8 inches; at least in this state – fully erect.

My hand wandered to his long, hard penis of its own accord; it brushed down the length of the shaft, eliciting a shiver from Edward. It repeated the process, liking the reaction it got out of its target.

When my hand went in for a third time, Edward grabbed my wrist and pushed me back down on the bed. He hovered over me, his eyes glowing with intense passion. His long, white fingers had found their way to my aching core and were probing gently. They stroked in and out of me in a steady rhythm; I arched my back and reveled in this new, wonderful feeling.

He pulled his hand away, then, causing me to groan in frustration and grab his hand, trying to force him to continue. He chuckled and kissed the tip of my nose, "No, love, I have something even better for you."

I lay back and felt something else sliding gently against the apex of my legs; suddenly, his erection was pushing into me – and it hurt more than I would have expected it to. He pushed into me until our hips touched and then just lay there, waiting.

"Open your eyes," he said – I hadn't even noticed I closed them. "I'm sorry I hurt you; but from now on, I promise it will only be pleasure."

I nodded to let him know I wanted him to continue, and he started to pull his hips away from mine. He mimicked the rhythm he had found with his fingers, and soon I knew what he had been talking about; it felt even more incredible.

Moans and whimpers were escaping my lips involuntarily as Edward quickened his pace; a pressure began to build in my pelvic region and I threw my head back and simply let every breathtaking feeling wash over me. My body seemed to have some kind of heightened sense of awareness – even more so than usual. Every nerve ending was running on over-drive; an explosion hit my womb that caused me to scream out.

"OH EDWARD!!"

He groaned loudly and buried his face in my neck; at first I thought he meant to bite me, but he simply press his lips to my neck and suppressed a guttural sound that I had never heard him make before.

And then he was still; he hovered over me in a rigid position, like he was trying to protect me from something.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He just shook his head and continued to brace himself on top of me – he was starting to scare me. After a while, he took a breath he had been holding for a good three minutes and looked at me.

"Forgive me," he said softly. "I had a moment of weakness; I almost lost myself."

"There's nothing to forgive," I replied.

He chuckled and shook his head again, "Foolish girl – always underestimating my self control."

"I'm not underestimating anything; it's called having confidence in your love for me and your incessant need to protect me. I know you'll never hurt me."

He sighed as he rolled over on to his back; he pulled me up to his side and slowly stroked the side of my arm. We both seemed to have a lot on our minds at this moment.

I, of course, was in a debate about how I bring up the subject of turning me into a vampire. I had been overconfident when I told Charlie that Edward would be in favor of the change, but now I wasn't so sure. He seemed to like me the way I am, and changing me into a vampire would transform me completely.

After lying there, looking at his profile through the darkness, I decided to leave all discussion for the morning light. I didn't want anything to ruin this perfect moment.

I felt a pale sliver of sunlight fall just across my face; it hit my left eye and caused me to blink awake and rub my eyes in protest. The sun was trying to break through the clouds today, and I supposed that meant the Cullens would be staying in. I turned, expecting to run into Edward only to find an empty space beside me.

"Edward?" I called, scanning the room. He was through the door a split second later with a tray of food.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I was making you breakfast."

"You were what?" I asked in disbelief as I sat up.

He set the tray on my lap and pulled a cover off of the plate – it was filled with different kinds of fruit and a small bowl that boasted yogurt and granola. I looked up at him with a bright smile.

"You're too perfect, do you know that?"

He leaned down to kiss me, "You're an easy woman to please."

I started to attack the fruit plate while he sat next to me, just watching. Edward always seemed fascinated to watch me eat; I think it was because he was trying to remember what eating real food was like. I stabbed at a piece of cantaloupe with my fork before tentatively jumping into a conversation.

"So, are we staying in today?"

"It would be a good idea," he mused. "Wouldn't want to blind people – whether it is with my glittering skin or your amazing beauty."

I felt myself blushing, but pressed on.

"What do you do when you can't go outside?"

"We mostly just work on whatever our interests are: Carlisle reads, I practice my music, Alice does some online shopping and Rosalie works on the cars."

"Rosalie works on the cars?" I asked incredulously; I had the funniest picture of Rosalie in coveralls with grease on her face – it didn't fit her personality at all.

"Is there anything in particular you would like to do today?" Edward asked. "You know I wouldn't be offended if you'd rather go out and do something with some friends – it's selfish of me to expect you to stay in all day just because I have to."

"No, I want to stay in with you," I said. "And, we can just do whatever, I'm not picky."

I ate the last of the fruit and set the fork down, bracing myself for the next phase of our conversation.

"There is something I wanted to talk about," I said.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if…since we're getting married and all…are you ever going to…"

I was cut off by Alice barging in the room with Jasper close behind her; I was still naked in the bed, and threw the tray to the floor in an attempt to cover myself with the blanket.

"We have a situation," Alice said. "Everybody needs to meet in the dining room now! You too, Bella!"

They left as abruptly as they had entered, and Edward turned to me expectantly.

"What were you saying? Before we were so rudely interrupted."

"It can wait," I said. "Let's go see what Alice wants."

Edward got up as I reached for the clothing that had been carelessly thrown on the floor the night before. Once I was dressed, we walked down to find the rest of the family already gathered and waiting for us.

"Glad you two could show up," Emmett teased; I focused on the glass in front of him and lifted and dropped it just hard enough to splash some water in his face. "Touché, Bella, touché."

"OK, you two, enough," Carlisle laughed as he motioned for Alice to begin.

"We're going to have visitors soon," she said. "Not like the nomads who showed up, but some very high ranking vampires from Italy."

"The Volturi?" Esme asked. "They're coming here? Why?"

"I can't see their reasons, just that they will be here sometime this afternoon," Alice said. "Although, I think it may have something to do with Bella."

"Then I'll take Bella away from here," Edward said quickly. "I can get her to Denali and hide her there."

"They'll anticipate that," Alice said. "And you won't have enough time; I don't think they mean to harm her. Their intentions don't seem to be malicious."

"All the same, I'd like Bella to be as far away as possible," Edward said; he had his arm wrapped around my waist protectively.

"Son," Carlisle began, "We won't let anything happen to Bella. I think we just need to sit tight and see what they want."

"No!" Edward said, standing up to lean over the table towards Carlisle. "When have you ever known the Volturi to just let a human go? Especially once they're aware of our existence."

Jasper stood and put a hand on Edward's shoulder, calming him. Carlisle looked to me.

"Bella, do you feel as though you can face the Volturi?"

"Who are the Volturi?" I asked.

"They are a family of vampires who originate in Italy," Carlisle said. "They act as a sort of governing body for our kind. They come in whenever something is amiss and…correct the situation."

I glanced at the worry on Edward's face, but decided I needed to do this; something told me these Volturi vampires weren't going to simply take no for an answer.

"Yes," I said. "I can face them."

Edward resumed his position at my side with his arm around me; though, his position was tenser than before.

"That settles it, then," Carlisle said. "We wait for the Volturi."

I sat next to Edward at his piano all day and just listened to him play. There are few things I enjoy more in this world than sitting while his gracefully hands danced effortlessly over the keys – while the instrument emitted sounds so beautiful, it always brought a tear to my eye.

I leaned against his shoulder while he dove into a tune he called "Bella's Lullaby." It thrilled me to no end that he wrote a song just for me. He never had to give me another present, as far as I was concerned.

The song wrapped up as Alice walked into the room, "They'll be here shortly."

Edward nodded and we both stood up to follow Alice into the living room. We were receiving them almost as though they were simply out-of-town guests; just some friends that the Cullens hadn't seen in a while.

Edward and I sat on a couch and he held be close to him, as though the Volturi could show up and whisk me away at any second. I just sat and stared at the floor.

"They're here," Alice said as we heard a knock on the door; Esme went to open it.

I heard murmurs in the front room, and then three figures entered the living room with eerie grace. The two men were tall and sinuous; the woman was short with short blond hair. They immediately focused their attention on me.

"This is she?" One of the men asked. "The human who has certain abilities?"

A sense of surprised washed over all of us; how had the Volturi learned of my abilities? And what did their knowledge mean for me?

"Hello Aro," Carlisle said, approaching the man who spoke first. "How are you?"

"I'm quite well, Carlisle," he replied. "And you seem to be doing well yourself, this home is very lovely."

"Thank you," Carlisle replied.

"And, I see that the rest of your family is well."

"That they are."

"Very good," Aro said. "So, why don't we just get down to business, shall we? It has come to our attention that not only does this human, Bella Swan, and her brother Matthew, know that you are vampires, but that they also have extraordinary abilities."

"That is true," Carlisle said as Edward's grip on me grew even tighter. "Is this of concern to the Volturi?"

"Oh Carlisle," Aro laughed. "Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to? Of course Bella is of concern to us – on a plethora of levels. First of all, we cannot simply reveal our identities to humans; no matter how fond of them we are," he shot a look at Edward, who glared back, "Secondly, Bella and Matthew would be amazing additions to our kind as a whole. They were born with heightened abilities, and we believe that changing them from humans into vampires will only increase their abilities further. These two could be the most powerful vampires to ever walk the earth."

Edward jumped up and shouted, "NO!!"

Everyone in the room shot him surprised glances – everyone except Aro, that is. The old vampire just looked at him with a slight smile.

"I would have thought you, of all people, would be in favor of the change, Edward; especially considering you hope to make Bella your wife."

How did these vampires know so much? They made the CIA look positively clueless.

"I want her to stay the way she is," Edward said, confirming my fears. "I like her this way."

"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice," Aro said. "You know our rules, and they are absolute – she must become a vampire, or be destroyed."

My eyes became so wide, I thought they were going to pop out of my head. Destroyed? They would kill me? And Matt? This was becoming an increasingly dangerous situation.

"If I agree," I finally spoke up, "Will you leave my family alone? They won't reveal any secrets about the Cullens or any other vampires. We've been in hiding, too; and we want to stay that way."

Aro beheld me curiously. "Hiding? Ah, yes…we did our research on you, Bella Swan; or, should I say Wheeler? You're adopted father took you out of Washington D.C. to hide you and your brother from the government. You have been very well hidden so far."

His eyes lit up, suddenly, "Imagine how well hidden you all will be once you are vampires. Your father, Charles, is an extraordinary man! He will make an excellent vampire, as well."

"No!" I said. "Please? Not my family, just leave them alone!"

"This is not up for debate, on any level," Aro said. "Either these three humans join us, or they die. You have 48 hours to decide."

Duh-duh-duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Will they become vampires, or won't they? 


	11. Chapter 11

The gauntlet had been thrown – the Volturi had given us the ultimate decision to make: make myself, my brother and my father v Decisions, decisions…

The gauntlet had been thrown – the Volturi had given us the ultimate decision to make: make myself, my brother and my father vampires, or kill us all. Edward was to the point where even Jasper couldn't seem to keep him calmed.

"This isn't happening! There has to be another way," he fumed while pacing the living room.

"Calm down, son," Carlisle said from his seat next to me on the couch; Esme sat on the other side of me and held my hands in hers.

"How can everyone else remain so calm? Do you all want Bella and her family to die?"

"Like I said," Carlisle continued, "We won't let anything happen to them. But we really do need Charlie and Matt here to get their input on the situation."

"They said they'd be here soon," I said, still looking at my hands in Esme's; frightened as I was, it was comforting to have this kind of contact with her – the only mother figure I've ever known.

"They're input?" Edward spat. "As if they're going to say, 'sure, I'd love to be a vampire.'"

"Edward, please calm down; flying off the handle isn't making this any easier," Carlisle said with a tone of finality. "And, I find it surprising that you haven't asked Bella how she feels about all of this."

"Of course she doesn't want to be turned into a vampire!" Edward hissed at Carlisle.

Carlisle gave him a warning glance which caused him to stop his pacing in front of me; he gave me an apologetic look and knelt down so we were at eye level. "Bella? What are you thinking right now?"

I had dreaded this question since the Volturi issued their ultimatum – because a big part of me did to be changed. And, I was also hoping that my agreement to do so would be a trade off for leaving Matt and Charlie alone.

I looked into Edward's sad, golden eyes and knew I couldn't keep this from him anymore.

"I…think we should go along with the Volturi's judgment – at least in my case; maybe if I agree to be changed, they will stop at just me."

Edward's gaze dropped to the floor and he sighed; he was angry and it hurt me to think he could be angry at my decision.

"Bella, I doubt the Volturi will stop at just you; you heard Aro."

"All the same, I'm determined to be changed."

"You don't mean that."

"Don't I? Being changed means I get to spend the rest of eternity with you, doesn't it? Don't you want that, too?"

"Not this way," he said.

"There is no other way."

The door bell rang and Alice danced over to open it; Charlie and Matt walked into the living room and sat down.

"Bella, what's all this about?" Charlie asked.

"We have a situation, Charlie," Carlisle said. "A group of vampires from Italy called the Volturi have discovered that your family knows of our existence; this is against their very stringent rules."

"Rules?" Charlie asked. "Well, what does this mean for us? Are they coming to kill us?"

"They are already here," Edward said. "And they have given us a decision: change all of you into vampires, or kill you."

Charlie jumped out his chair and came to pull me out of my seat, "Come on kids, we're getting out of here."

"You can't outrun this, Charlie," Carlisle said. "They will find you no matter where you go."

"We've been outrunning the United States government; I think we can handle a few vampires."

"It's not the same," Carlisle said. "The Volturi is even more powerful; they found you here, and they'll find you wherever you go next. And they won't be as reasonable if they have to go chasing you."

"So what choice does that leave us with?" Charlie cried. "To stay here and either die or become vampires?"

"We're hoping we can reason with them," Carlisle replied.

"How?"

I took my hands from Charlie's grasp and looked him in the eye, "I'm going to offer myself for change, and we hope they'll consider it a wash – as long as you and Matt keep yourselves well hidden and never reveal what you now know."

Charlie looked at me skeptically, "You think that will really work?"

"We don't know," Carlisle said. "But it's the best plan we have so far."

"I'll get changed, too," Matt said, standing up.

"No!" Charlie yelled. "I'm not losing both of my children to this madness."

"If it saves you, then I'm doing it," Matt said, turning to Carlisle. "Will it be one of you who does it, or one of these Volturi vampires?"

"I will change you," Carlisle said. "I'm more than prepared to perform the act."

"This is not happening!" Charlie said.

"I agree," Edward said. "Charlie's the only one being sensible here. We'll try and reason with them."

"And if that doesn't work?" Matt countered.

"Then we'll put up a fight," Edward said.

That idea got Emmett pumped up, "Yeah! We'll kick some Volturi ass! Come on, Matt, between all of us, we could take them! Don't you want to kill a vampire or two?"

"No! No one's getting killed over me," I said. "We should do this in the most civilized way possible."

"I agree," Esme said. "And besides, I'd like very much for Bella, and Matt, to join our family; and Charlie, too, if he chooses to do so."

"I'd like that, too," Alice agreed. "And I'd also like to avoid any confrontations with the Volturi."

"Bella and Matt, you're sure you want to go through with this?" Carlisle asked.

We look to each other, and then back at Carlisle, "Yes," I said. "We're sure."

"Well, I'll be damned if I'm going to be left behind," Charlie said. "So, I'll do whatever it takes to keep my family together."

Carlisle nodded at him and turned to Edward and Emmett, "So, this means the fight is off; and I want you both to behave yourselves when Aro and the rest return."

"I'm sure they'll be just fine," came a smooth, almost sinister voice from the entryway.

Aro walked in with his companions; he couldn't contain his smug smile.

"So, we have some new recruits it seems. Wonderful! Will you be performing the procedure, Carlisle?"

"Yes, I will," Carlisle said. "Is there any particular time period in which we need to do this?"

"Before the end of the week," Aro replied. "And, we will be watching."

Just as suddenly as they had arrived, the Volturi left; and we were left there to ponder how and when we would go about changing me and my family. Charlie claimed to be too tired to discuss the matter tonight, so he stood and walked to the front door.

"Matt, Bella? Are you coming?" He called.

Matt and I walked into the foyer, but I hung back while Charlie opened the door. "I'm staying here tonight."

Charlie looked like he was about to argue, but just sighed and exited; Matt nodded to me and followed him to the car. Edward was behind me, but he didn't wrap his arms around me – just stood there, gazing at the back of my head.

"I'm tired," I said, not turning around. "Let's go to bed."

Once I was back in his soft bed, I felt a little more at ease. The sheets and pillows smelled of him, and that calmed me; however, he paced the room, refusing to make eye contact with me.

"Please, Edward, come to bed?" I asked, sitting up and patting the space beside me.

He didn't stop moving, just paced and ran his hands through his hair. "Why, Bella? Why did you agree to this? Why do you want to give up on life so easily?"

"I don't look at it as giving up on life," I explained. "Just, starting a new one; I want a life with you. I'm surprised that it doesn't make more sense to you. In fact, it hurts that you don't want this – that you don't want to be with me forever."

"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "Of course I want to be with you forever – longer than that – but this isn't the way to go about it; I'm forever damned, I don't want you to be."

"Is that the only reason you don't want me to be changed?" I asked.

He stopped his pacing and looked at me – he nodded and walked to sit beside me on the bed.

"Why do you feel you're damned, Edward? You didn't choose to be a vampire."

"But, I have killed people…a long time ago," he said. "I rationalized that I was killing the worst of society – murderers and such. But, that makes me no better than them."

"That makes you a lot better," I said. "You were avenging the helpless; it was noble."

He scoffed, "Noble! I knew I had an advantage and I took too much pleasure out of killing all those people. No, had I been a human, it would have been noble – it was just, pure cowardice."

"Edward, you're a good person..." he shot me a look, "You know what I mean! You're good and you care about others. I don't think all of your actions can be held against you forever, particularly not if your intentions are to protect the innocent."

He thought about this for a moment before turning to me, "You are the good person, Bella; you see good in everyone. But, I'm afraid there is no good to be found in me."

"You're wrong."

He just smirked and leaned over to kiss me gently. "You must be exhausted; get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning."

"No, don't leave," I said, grabbing his arm as he attempted to stand. "At least stay with me tonight; hold me, please?"

"Whatever you wish, my love," he smiled, stretching out beside me and wrapping me tightly in his arms. As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered if I'd ever be able to fall asleep without him there, holding me.

He was gone again when I woke up, I looked around the room and found a note sitting on the bedside table.

Bella,

I have gone hunting with my family; we should be home before the morning is over. If you wake up before I return, there is more food in the kitchen.

Yours forever – and longer,

Edward

I put one of Edward's shirts on and walked down to the kitchen; I opened the refrigerator and found a bowl filled with fruit and yogurt. I took it out and ate at the island in the middle of the kitchen.

As I ate, I thought about was Edward said about human food tasting like dirt and I chuckled to myself. It seemed unreal to me that one day these beautiful, tasty strawberries would become repulsive to me. But, that is the trade off of becoming a vampire – and I came to the conclusion that it was more than worth the price I paid.

After I showered and felt like myself again, I walked back into Edward's room in just a towel. He was sitting on his bed, waiting for me. I froze in the doorway, startled by his presence; he looked up and his gaze turned from indifferent to lustful in a split second.

"Well," he said, his smirk appearing so quickly on his beautiful face. "If I'd have known this is what was waiting for me when I got home, I wouldn't have taken so long hunting."

He stood and stalked over to me, like a predator hot on its prey, and circled around me once. I felt the side of his face brush past right shoulder and I shuddered – it was amazing how the simplest touch from him made me weak.

Once he was in front of me again, he reached out and took my face into his hands. He brought his lips to mine softly and I reached one hand out to caress his cheek. The other hand remained firmly clutching the towel. He moved one of his hands down and loosed my grip on the cover-up. I complied, and it fell to the floor.

Once both of my arms were wrapped around his neck, he lifted me up and carried me to the bed. He shed his clothing with ease and was hovering over me, just like last night.

"Maybe you were too quick to take a shower," he teased. "You may need another one after this."

He entered me with more passion than he had before, but any hint of pain was lost and I immediately gave myself over to the incredible sensations coursing through me. I knew we had a connection, but it seemed even more prevalent when we make love – like we were meant to be together.

And he seemed to have less trouble with his own reactions this time. He held my gaze with his and we stared into each other's eyes until I felt that incredible climax wash over me once more. This time, it was his turn to scream.

"Bella!! I love you!"

I caught my breath as I came down from my high and said, "I love you, too."

He pulled out of me and rolled back onto his knees; he just sat there, staring at me with what looked like awe on his face.

"What?"

"You're beautiful, Bella."

"So are you, Edward."

He chuckled and leaned back forward to lie next to me; he draped his left arm across my body while his right hand played absently with my hair.

"How was the hunting," I asked, though I never really wanted to know.

"Great, we're all ready for tonight."

"Tonight?"

He gave me a confused look, "The change, Bella; you don't want a bunch of hungry vampires around for something like this, no matter how good our self control might be."

"We're doing that tonight?"

"Carlisle thinks it's best to get it over with quickly," Edward explained. "It will take at least three days for you to fully change. It will be quite painful, but I will be here for you through it all."

"Do Charlie and Matt know?"

"Carlisle called Charlie this morning to confirm; they'll be here at 7 p.m."

I looked at the clock: 12 p.m.

Only seven hours until I become a vampire.

**Short chapter, sorry :-(**

**Any suggestions on how the changing process should go? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?**


	12. Chapter 12

It was 6:30 p ….Ch-ch-ch-changes?...

It was 6:30 p.m. before I knew it; I spent most of the day in bed with Edward. We engaged in a number of romantic activities, he even brought me lunch in bed.

He wouldn't let me leave his sight; except when I pleaded with him to let me use the restroom. It was strange; he's always been a bit too protective, but today he was exceptionally clingy.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked. "You're acting as though I'm leaving for a long time."

His golden eyes turned sad as he peered up at me, "In a way, you are."

"What do you mean? Once I'm changed, we'll be able to be together all the time! I won't have any of these nagging, insipid human habits like sleeping or eating."

"But you'll be different—not completely, but enough so that I'll notice a great deal. You probably won't even smell like you anymore," he emphasized his point by bury his face in my hair and inhaling deeply.

I glanced up at him wearily, "You sound as though you might not love me once I'm changed."

He grabbed my chin gently and looked deep into my eyes, "That's impossible; I could never not love you. It will just be an adjustment. But, if it makes you happy, then I'm willing to be patient while I get used to things being different. After all, you're really the one who's really sacrificing here."

I gave him a weak smile, "It's no sacrifice to spend eternity with you; it's a privilege."

As he leaned down to kiss me again, Alice bound into the room and broke our reverie.

"Good timing, Alice, as usual," Edward said.

"Well, I just think you two should be getting ready for tonight," she said, crossing her arms in front of her. "Charlie and Matt will be here any minute."

"Where are we going to do this?" I asked.

"In the garage, in case things get messy," Alice replied as Edward shot her an angry look.

"I hope not," I laughed weakly. "I don't think Rosalie will forgive us if we get blood all over her nice, clean garage. Where will she work on cars then?"

Alice chuckled at that; Edward rolled his eyes, "If you two are quite finished; Bella and I need to get dressed."

"Fine, I need to go find Jasper anyway," Alice said, turning back to the door. "Carlisle wants me to keep him occupied. His control still isn't great when he's around anything...too tempting."

She shut the door behind her and I glanced at Edward, "Jasper still has problems controlling himself?"

"He's the most novice in the eating habits department," Edward replied, running his fingers up and down my arm absent-mindedly. He looked to the clock and lifted me off the bed reluctantly. "We should get dressed."

I threw my clothes back on, not really caring how it looked that I'd worn the same thing three days in a row, and headed down stairs behind Edward. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the kitchen where Esme and Rosalie were sitting and talking. Rosalie seemed a little upset; when she saw me walk through the door, she got up and left the room.

"Did I do something wrong?" I whispered to Edward.

"She just thinks you're making a big mistake," He said. "And she doesn't understand how you could want to be changed voluntarily. This isn't the life she would have chosen for herself."

"Well, she's not me," I said, trying not to sound defensive. "And this is the life I choose, because it's the only life that allows me to stay with you forever."

He placed his hand gently on my cheek and kissed me softly; when I pulled back, I noticed Esme sitting at the table, smiling at us. She stood up and approached, throwing her arms around both me and Edward.

"I always knew this day would come," she said. "You've tried to deny it for so long, Edward, but I knew one day you'd find someone who completes you. And I'm so glad it's Bella."

I held onto Esme tightly—the only mother I have ever, and will ever, know. She let us go with a sigh as Carlisle walked in with Matt and Charlie in tow.

"Bella, we're ready," Carlisle said.

Edward squeezed my hand and led me into the garage where there was a big, black drop cloth covering the floor. It made me pause for a second, and Edward noticed my hesitation.

"It's just a precaution," he whispered. "Don't worry, neither Alice nor Carlisle foresee anything going wrong."

I nodded and continued to walk over to where…it…would take place.

"We need to do this one at a time, I'm afraid," Carlisle said. "Bella, do you want to go first?"

"Yes…but I want Edward to do it," I breathed.

The garage feel deathly silent. Carlisle looked up at Edward questioningly.

"Edward, do you feel you can do this?"

His expression was pained – his eyes pleaded with me to not ask this of him. But, I wouldn't have it any other way; I set my face into a defiant stare until he buckled.

"I suppose I have no choice," he said.

I sat down on the cloth and he lowered himself with me; he placed his hands firmly on my shoulders and I tilted my head away – bracing myself for the pain. Carlisle set a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"It's OK, son, I'm here; I won't let you get carried away."

"And neither will I," Matt said from the corner.

I felt Edward's lips brush softly against my neck and squeezed my eyes shut – but nothing happened. Suddenly, there was an ear-shattering howl just outside the garage door. Edward snapped his head up and looked to Carlisle.

"Werewolves?" Edward asked. "Here?"

Something seemed to dawn over Carlisle as he looked to where shadows of great, furry wolves were lingering just outside the garage door windows.

"The treaty," Carlisle said. "We forgot all about it."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the garage door, Carlisle went to press the button and the door jerked upward until it settled above our heads. A figure walked in from the darkness; as he came close, I recognized him from that day at La Push – Sam, the older boy. He approached Carlisle with a disgusted look.

"Filthy bloodsuckers! You dare break the treaty you made with our ancestors? Did you think we wouldn't find out? That we don't have scouts keeping an eye on you at all times?"

Edward stood in front of me in a protective pose, waiting to strike Sam down if he got any closer.

"This is not what you think," Carlisle said. "These humans need to be changed, or they will be killed by the Volturi – the most dangerous of our kind."

"I don't want your excuses!" Sam yelled. "You cannot break the treaty, or we will be forced to destroy you."

I saw another tall figure walk into the garage, it was Jacob Black. He looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Bella! You don't want to do this, do you? You don't really want to be like them! They're evil."

"You don't understand, we have to do this," I said.

"You won't do it here!" Sam cried.

"Fine!" Edward countered lurching towards Sam. "We'll leave first; we won't break your precious treaty."

Carlisle stepped in between Sam and Edward, "He's right; we'll leave tomorrow. The treaty only states that we can't change humans in this area."

"Good," Sam said, turning back to the door; he grabbed Jacob and dragged him out on the way – but I didn't miss Jacobs pained look. It almost made me feel guilty – almost.

We went back into the house and Esme came rushing over.

"What happened, what was all the shouting about?" She said as she pulled me into her arms.

"We seemed to have forgotten about the treaty with the werewolves," Carlisle said. "So, we're going to have to head back up to Denali before we change them."

"Denali?" Charlie asked. "As in Denali, Alaska?"

"Yes," Carlisle said. "We lived there before we came to Forks, and there is another group of vegetarian vampires up there."

"What about our houses?" Charlie asked. "What do we do about our lives here? How can we just pick up and leave?"

"I'll stay behind and take care of all of that," Esme said. "Don't worry about it."

"So, when do we leave?" Matt asked.

"In the morning," Carlisle said. "I'm going to book the plane tickets right now."

"Why don't we just drive?" Edward asked.

"This is faster," Carlisle replied. "I don't want to take any chances here."

Edward nodded and slid his arm around my waist, guiding me upstairs. Once we were back in his room, I flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling – this waiting was going to make me a nervous wreck. Edward stretched himself out next to me and nuzzled the side of my face with his nose.

I turned to kiss him gently, but my urgent, nervous energy got the better of me. I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down on the bed – I straddled him and deepened the kiss with everything I had in me.

"Bella," he breathed against my lips. "Are you sure you want to do this."

I wasn't sure if he was talking about the sex or the change – but either way the answer was an emphatic yes.

I leaned back and peel my shirt off, throwing it to the floor. I had decided to ditch the concept of a bra earlier, and Edward took full advantage of this decision – he grabbed my breast and massaged them roughly while I went to work unbuttoning his shirt.

Once I had rid the both of us of all of our clothing, I resumed my position over him. I lowered myself down onto him and moaned loudly – it was even more incredible with me on top. My hips started rolling up and down as if they simply knew exactly what to do, and I leaned forward so he could continue to grope at my aching breasts.

He leaned up and took one of my breasts into his mouth, suckling gently as I threw my head back and ground my hips into his. He lifted his hips to meet mine with each stroke, causing an unbelievable friction to build between us.

I moved faster and he matched me; I started whimpering as the wave of my climax washed over me. I hadn't noticed that there were streams of tears running down my cheeks until Edward reached up and licked them from my face.

"My love, why are you crying?" He asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I'm just happy to be near you, I suppose."

He pulled me off of his lap and into a lying position next to him; he brushed my stray hairs out of my face and stared at me curiously. He looked as though he wanted to ask me something, but just looked at me with adoration.

It hit me then, I wondered if Matt and Charlie were still here. They would probably just stay the night since we were leaving as soon as possible tomorrow. Did they just here me have wild, loud sex with Edward? Probably – and the funny thing was, I didn't really care. I love Edward, and we'll be married soon, so why should I care if anyone hears us?

I was about to shut my eyes and drift off to sleep when I heard a knock at the door; I jumped out of bed, suddenly not tired at all, and grabbed the blanket to wrap around me. Hearing us having sex was one thing, but having anyone but Edward see me naked was quite another.

Edward chuckled at me as he put his boxers back on and answered the door – it was Carlisle.

"I've booked the tickets," he said. "We'll leave at 6 a.m.; get some rest, Bella. It may be the last time you get to sleep."

Carlisle turned and Edward shut the door behind him. I thought about him ominous words, _the last time you get to sleep_. He was right; I was going to walk around in a perpetual state of consciousness for the rest of eternity. But, it wasn't like I was going to care – or even notice – right?

I decided to just go to sleep before my brain got too caught up pondering this issue. Edward curled up behind me and rubbed my back gently until I was lost to sleep. The next thing I knew, I was being nudged lightly on the shoulder. Then I heard, "Here, let me wake her."

I moved just in time to miss getting a pile driver from Matt; unfortunately, I didn't hold onto the blanket in the process.

"AHHH!! NAKED BELLA! I DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT!!" And Matt was out the door in a flash.

I watched the door slam behind him, "If I knew that's all it took, I would have flashed him years ago."

Edward laughed and kissed me on the temple, his arms wrapped around my neck. "We need to leave in a few minutes, but you could take a quick shower if you like."

"Will you take one with me?"

"I don't think that will be a quick shower, Bella," Edward grinned.

I walked into Edward's bathroom and took the quickest shower I'd ever taken. I came back out wrapped in a towel and went for the clothes I had been wearing before. Just then, Alice danced into the room.

"Wardrobe change!" She said. "You cannot wear those again, Bella; that's just gross."

"I don't have anything else; and I doubt your clothes will fit me," I countered.

Alice threw a bag at me, "We went by your house; though, I almost wish I had time to take you shopping – your wardrobe is appalling! But, we have plenty of time for that in the future, don't we?"

I grimaced at her and pulled some undergarments out of the bag; once I pulled on a t-shirt and jeans and tied my shoes, I was being rushed out the door to the airport. We got onto the plane and I stared to get strange déjà vu from months ago when we were running from The Agency. I actually felt a rush of relief – this change meant that they would probably never find us. Charlie, especially, could stop living in fear.

We landed at the airport in Anchorage just after 8:30 a.m. and a car was waiting at the rental agency. Edward jumped in the driver's seat and sped to Denali; the trip should have taken about seven hours – Edward got us there in three.

There were a group of people waiting around a large house when we arrived.

"That's the Denali Clan," Edward whispered to me. "Don't worry, they're our friends."

I wasn't so sure about that; a pretty girl with strawberry-blond hair was giving me a death glare that chilled me to the bone.

Yes, that pretty strawberry-blond is Tanya – couldn't resist throwing that in, for some S'n'G! Oh, and sorry about the tease (really, I'm not), but they will be changed…eventually… 


	13. Chapter 13

It was kind of funny -- yesterday after I posted the last chapter, I checked the Breaking Dawn quote of the day to see that it It was kind of funny—yesterday after I posted the last chapter, I checked the Breaking Dawn quote of the day to see that it belong to none other than Tanya! It kind of blew my mind! Anywho...on with the story...

The Denali Clan: Irina, Kate, Carmen, Eleazar and...Tanya.

They are a coven of vampires who live in Alaska and share the Cullens' disdain for drinking human blood. While I was glad to find friends here in the middle of nowhere, I hadn't planned on running into an entirely female clan. I felt this strange sensation course through me as I stared at them—these flawless creatures; I believe it's called jealousy.

It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't known that Edward had spent quite a bit of time up here with this clan; although, it did help knowing that despite the obviously fine selection of female vampires he had to choose from, he instead chose me. I had something they didn't have—a deep connection with Edward.

That gave me pause for thought too, though. What if my change altered me and he wasn't attracted to my scent anymore? What if, instead, he realized it was a mistake and ultimately chose one of the Denali girls over me?

I stood there, near to a panic attack in front of the clan, and I had yet to even say hello. The strawberry-blond walked forward and stood in front of me and Edward—though, she hardly acknowledged me.

"Edward, Carlisle, you've been away too long; welcome home," she said in a smooth voice.

"Hello Tanya," Carlisle said politely. "We actually came here on a mission. These are our friends Charlie, Matt and Bella Swan; the Volturi discovered they found out about our existence and now we must change them. But, we can't do it in Forks because of our treaty with the wolves there; so we brought them here."

Tanya eyed us suspiciously. "How did they find out about you?"

"It was my fault," Edward said. "I fell hopelessly in love with Bella, and I revealed the secret."

"It wasn't completely your fault," I countered gazing up at him. "I did harass you into it, essentially."

He chuckled and kissed me gently on the tip of my nose. Out of the corner of my eye, Tanya looked beyond disgusted.

"Well," she said, turning back to the house, "We'll help in any way we can."

"Thank you," Carlisle said.

We all walked into the huge house and the rest of the clan showed us around; bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen—all things a vampire does not need, but has anyway to keep up the pretense of normality. One of the girls, Kate, a very nice, blond vampire who seemed about 16 or 17, showed us all to our respective rooms. She stopped at the first door on the left and turned to Matt, "This is your room."

She actually seemed to blush as she bent her head sheepishly and motioned for him to go into the room. He smiled as he past and subtly brushed her arm as he entered. Kate continued to show us our rooms; mine and Edward's was on the third level of the house, it was decorated in dark, rich reds and gave off a very homey feel. I sat on the bed while Edward set my bags aside and gazed out the window.

"We'll probably wait until dark to turn you all," he said thoughtfully; he finally turned to me with sad eyes. "Do you really want me—and only me—to do this?"

I nodded, "I trust you."

"Do you not trust Carlisle?"

"I do trust Carlisle, but he's not my soul mate; it just feels more right for you to do this."

He left his position near the window and sat beside me on the bed, wrapping me in his arms. "If that is what you want; then that is what you'll get."

I smiled and rested my head on his chest, "Thank you."

"I love you," he replied, kissing the top of my head.

I sat there and inhaled his scent deeply as I imagined what my life would be like after today. I knew that the next few days would be the most trying of my life, but I was thinking beyond that. Edward and I will be together forever; he will show me the world, and we would be married...though, we haven't set a date yet.

"Edward?" I asked peering up at him. "Will we get married once we return to Forks?"

He gave me a confused look, "We're not going back to Forks."

"Where will we live then?" I questioned, pulling away from him.

"We'll stay here for a while, and decide after you're acclimated to the change."

"How long will that take?"

"I'm not sure," he said. "On a normal human, it can take up to a year. But, I think in your case it may be quite shorter—a few months, perhaps."

"So...when will we be married?"

"You don't have to be acclimated for that," he smiled. "Once you are completely through the change, we can be married whenever you like. Alice will be up here the day after tomorrow, and she will help with all of the arrangements."

"But, we're in the middle of nowhere," I said. "How will we find someone to perform the ceremony?"

"Carlisle will do it, he's ordained."

"He is? How?"

"His father was a priest, so Carlisle decided to try his hand at it about 200 years ago," Edward laughed.

"You think of everything, don't you?" I asked, returning to the safety of his arms.

"That I do," he said as he captured my lips and began to lay me gently back on the bed.

I tangled my fingers in his hair as we took full advantage of the time we had left before I was to be changed.

As the sun began to set and throw its brilliant shades of reds, oranges and pinks against the majestic mountains, Edward, Carlisle, Matt, Charlie and I went to a small, cottage just a few hundred yards off of the Denali clan's property. Once again, there was a great drop cloth waiting to make sure no mess would be made. I lay back on the cloth and waited for Edward to proceed.

He knelt beside me and took a hold of my shoulders while I tilted my head to the other side. He leaned forward but hesitated, his lips just millimeters away from my flesh; it was maddening.

"Edward," I hissed. "Just do it!"

He lurched then and his sharp teeth penetrated my skin with little difficulty. It felt like a series of knives tearing into my flesh and I struggled a bit at first. Edward kept his grip firm on me as I slowly started to lose consciousness; I could literally feel the blood being drained from my body. Just as the light was fading, I heard Carlisle's distance voice saying, "Edward, son, that's enough."

And then I fell into a sea of blackness.

I had moments of clarity the next day; my brain kept going in and out of consciousness. I was vaguely aware that Edward was there the whole time, holding onto me as if his life depended on it. My recollections of other visitors were even vaguer. Today after, however, I seemed to be relatively back to normal; this really surprised Carlisle.

"I suppose, given your curious nature as a human, the change was easier for your body to make," he said as he examined me. "Are you sure you don't feel ill in the least? Is your head alright? Your vision? You're not seeing spots or hallucinations are you?"

"I'm fine," I reassured him as he put two fingers to my wrist and looked up at me.

"Would you like to feel this for yourself?" He asked. I placed my fingers down where his had been, but there was no pulse. I chuckled slightly, awkwardly, as I checked the other wrist – no pulse there, either. I turned to face Edward, who was sitting just behind me, and touched his face; it wasn't even slightly cold to me anymore. I held his face in my hands and looked into his eyes; he stared back with that same look he always gave me: complete and utter adoration. My heart would have soared if it were still beating.

"Have I changed very much?" I asked quietly. "Do I smell different?"

"I cannot smell your blood anymore," he replied. "But everything else is still there; you're still Bella...except..."

"What?"

He lifted me off of the bed and onto my feet to take me to a mirror; I gazed in to find blood-red eyes where dark brown once lay. I gasped and stepped back.

"How did they become red?" I asked. "Why aren't they the same color as yours?"

"That comes in time, my love," he said holding me in his arms once again. "That comes once you are used to our diet."

Repulsed as I was by this new development, I couldn't look away; it probably also had something to do with the fact that I had changed in other areas as well. I'd never been fat, but what softer part of my body I had possessed before was replaced by solid muscle. My face seemed a bit more gaunt and my hair shinier. I couldn't see how Edward thought I was still me; I surely didn't look like myself.

I turned to Carlisle who was about to leave us in privacy, "How are Matt and Charlie?"

"Matt is much like you, almost completely back to normal," he said. "And Charlie is well; he will take a little longer, but he should be back on his feet before the week is out."

I nodded gratefully and he smiled before he left, closing the door quietly behind him. Edward lifted me as effortlessly as ever and set me down on the bed; he brushed the hair out of my face and caressed my cheek softly.

"Do you really still love me?" I asked barely above a whisper.

"Of course, you silly little vampire," he chuckled. "Like I said, I could never not love you."

I smiled and pulled his lips to mine, our tongues mingled and fought like never before; as if on cue, Alice was bursting through the door like a woman possessed.

"Bella! You're awake! Good, because I have so many things to show you before we have the wedding," she chirped, her voice—like her furious movements—going at mach speeds.

"Alice," Edward warned. "Don't get Bella too riled up right now; she's not 100 percent, yet."

"Oh hush, no one asked you," Alice pouted. "I just want to go over a few things before...wait, when are we going to have the wedding?"

I looked to Edward who shrugged, "Well, Carlisle said I should be back to normal, relatively speaking, in a few days. What day is it?"

"It's Thursday," Edward said.

"How about next Saturday? That way Charlie has time to rest and get better."

"OK," Alice said, pulling out a day planner. "Next Saturday at, let's say, 5 p.m.?"

"Sounds good," I said.

I suddenly noticed a vase sitting in the corner of the room and started wondering if I still had all of the abilities I had before.

"Bella? What's wrong?" Edward asked following my gaze.

I concentrated on the vase and, in an instant, had it clutched in my grasp; I gave an audible sigh of relief, at least a few things from my previous life had survived the change. Edward smiled at me, "How did that feel?"

"Really good," I replied. "In fact, it's almost easier now; I didn't even concentrate that hard. And I think my reflexes are quicker now."

"All newborns have heightened reflexes," Alice said. "Just remember, that could fade over time."

Edward shot her a warning glare, but she simply shrugged. "What? I'm just being honest."

It didn't bother me that I could lose these heightened reflexes, I was still fast no matter what; I was just happy to have a part of me that I could never lose – besides Edward, that is.

"Is she OK?" I heard Matt ask as he opened the door and peered inside; his eyes just as red as mine. "Bells? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," I said standing to hug him. "How are you?"

"Great, I was just outside with Emmett," he said. "I totally schooled him the strength department—like, big time."

"That's nice," I laughed. "Have you seen Charlie?"

"Yeah, he's OK, still sleeping most of the time, but Carlisle said he should be OK shortly."

"That's what he told me, too," I said. "Is he awake now? Can I see him?"

"I think so," Matt said as we both headed down the hall, Edward followed closely.

I knocked on Charlie's door lightly before turning the knob and sticking my head inside, "Dad? Are you awake?"

"Yes," he said weakly.

I walked over to where he was curled up on the bed, he looked like he was in pain—and it hurt me that I couldn't imagine what he was going through. I wish I could have traded places with him; I deserved to be in pain for putting us in this position, not Charlie.

I put my hand on his head and tried to soothe him as best as I could. His skin was pale and clammy, and he already looked thinner and more taught. He gazed up at me with those same red eyes I saw in the mirror earlier. "Bells, how are you, sweetie?"

"I'm fine, Dad, how are you feeling?"

"Better," he said with a chuckle. "Yesterday was rough, though, let me tell you."

"I'm so sorry, Dad; I'm sorry I put you through this," I said, wanting to cry but not able to anymore.

"Bella, this isn't your fault, it isn't anyone's fault – this is just the way our lives turned out and we'll make the best of it, right? We always do."

"But, if I hadn't met Edward..."

"Don't think like that," he said. "He makes you happy; that's all that I care about."

I continued to stroke his head softly and kissed him on the cheek, "You're the best dad a girl could ask for, do you know that?"

"Oh, sure," he chuckled. "But, it's still nice to hear from time to time."

I laughed and turned towards the door to find Edward standing there waiting for me with a worried expression.

"What?" I asked as we exited and I closed the door behind me.

"Are you hungry? You'll probably need something soon; you haven't eaten today—or yesterday for that matter."

"I guess I'm feeling a bit hungry," I said.

We passed a mirror and I noticed that my eyes were no longer red, but black as night. "Oh, so that's why you asked me if I'm hungry."

"It's kind of your indicator," Edward said with a smile. "It lets you know when it's time to feed."

Matt walked up to me then, his eyes had turned to onyx as well. "So, are we going hunting or what?"

"Yeah," Emmett said, appearing out of nowhere. "I want to see what Matt can do once he's out in the open."

The two high-fived like 12-year-olds while Edward and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes.

"Do you think you're ready for hunting," Edward asked me seriously.

"I think so," I said. "Besides, the sooner I get out there, the sooner I start getting the hang of things, right?"

"True," Edward smiled, he kiss me gently and pulled back thoughtfully. "You still taste the same, if that makes you feel any better."

I laughed, "It does, indeed."

We made our way out to the forest to find food. As we past a stream, I saw a school of trout swimming and swooped down to really test my reflexes. I caught one of the fish in the blink of an eye – I didn't even feel the water against my hand as it dipped into the water. I stood there with this defenseless creature wriggling in my hand and felt a pang of guilt; if I was going to have to kill an animal for food, I was going to make sure it was one that could take my life in return—that is, if I were a normal human.

I set the trout back in the water and it swam away with great speed. Edward stood at the river's edge watching my little fishing expedition. "Communing with nature?"

"Something like that," I smiled.

The further we walked into the woods, the denser the trees became around us. It was dark, but my eyes adjusted with amazing speed and accuracy; I imagined this must be what a cat sees at night. We tread too softly to make any sound, which only heightened the sudden snap of a twig that rang throughout the forest like a bell. It was followed by the sound of a gruesome snarl—I spotted the wolverine about 100 yards off.

"You go get him, Bells," Matt whispered. "I'm gonna find me a bear."

I chuckled softly as I pulled myself up into the nearest tree and jumped from branch to branch without a sound; I was right above the creature in a matter of seconds. He was big for a wolverine, I'd say well over four feet long, including his tale, and about 70 to 80 pounds. And, he seemed more than just a little agitated.

_This should be fun!_

I heard a foreign area of my brain suddenly come to life, wanting more than anything to snap this animals neck and feed on him until there' no blood left. And the worst part? This side of me didn't scare me like it should have. I waited for the wolverine to turn away from me and leapt on him, twisting his neck with a sickening crack in less than a nano-second. I tilted its head to the side and sank my teeth into its flesh—and it tasted rather good. Though, I'd have to keep trying new things if I was going to find a favorite, I thought with a chuckle.

As soon as I was finished, I stood up to find Edward watching me from an adjacent tree. "How was it?"

"Easier than I had expected."

He hopped down and approached me; he grasped my face in his hands and stared into my eyes.

"They're still fairly red," he said. "Perhaps we should find one more before we head home."

I nodded as we turned to walk deeper into the forest. As soon as I passed a group of fur trees, I saw two figures up on a higher plane – one was a human, the other a bear. The great animal reared back on its hind legs and gave an ear-shattering growl; but the human figure leapt quicker than lightning and took the beast down easily.

"Was that Matt?" I asked in awe.

"I suppose it was," Edward replied.

"Wow, he's even faster than before – you really couldn't beat him in a foot race now," I laughed.

Edward chuckled and led me through some more trees until we came to a clearing where a group of deer were eating the tall grass. Edward squeezed my hand and jerked his head in their direction. "Care for some venison?"

"No," I said pulling back. "They're so defenseless; I want to find something else."

"We might not be able to, Bella," he explained. "And I don't want you going home hungry."

"Well, if we can't find something else than we can come back here," I argued. "But, I want to at least try."

He sighed but nodded and took my hand as we walked back into the forest for another option – and I was in luck. We spotted a lynx just inside the wooded area; it was trying to remain hidden in a patch of tall grass as it stalked a squirrel.

I crouched low, mimicking its actions, and crept slowly forward until I was closer to the lynx than it was to the squirrel – the feline didn't even have time to react before I snapped its neck and started feasting again. It was even tastier than the wolverine – I definitely preferred cats to weasels.

I finished the lynx and turned back to Edward, wiping the last traces of blood from my lips.

"I'm ready to go home now."

There you go, folks! Bella the vampire! On a side note, I've been trying to locate a copy of the Entertainment Weekly that features Twilight on the cover, but have been unsuccessful. If anyone in the state of Colorado who happens to be reading this knows where I can find one, please let me know. Thanks! 


	14. Chapter 14

After a few days, Charlie was back on his feet and ready to come hunt with us; he, much like Matt and Emmett, seemed to have a Wedding day! And, I finally got my hands on a copy of the _Twilight EW_!! YEAH!!

After a few days, Charlie was back on his feet and ready to come hunt with us; he, much like Matt and Emmett, seemed to have a taste for Grizzlies. Myself, I stuck to the local lynx population.

One night, Edward and I happened to pass a wolf pack; and, while Edward was more than ready to attack, something in me couldn't bring myself to feed on a wolf. I wasn't even sure why – it couldn't have been because of the La Push wolves, could it? I couldn't imagine I had any particular connection to them.

I shrugged off that idea and worked on wedding plans with Alice, who was still able to create an amazing ceremony, despite our limited resources here in the wilderness. She had to order the wedding dress through a designer she found online. They had been e-mailing back and forth since before Edward even proposed; and the man would be flying in on Friday to finish the dress before the wedding.

"Are you crazy?" I asked Alice, incredulously. "I can't be around a human right now; I might not be able to control myself."

"Calm down, Bella," she said rolling her eyes. "He's one of us; that's how I found him. He lives in Italy and he designs for vampires there."

"Oh," I said with a sigh of relief. "Thank god! I thought you were going to have to restrain me while he fitted me."

"I wouldn't put you through that," Alice laughed. "Although, I will restrain you if you throw a fit over the gown. Remember, you said I had total control over the design decisions."

"I know, I promise to not throw a fit," I said, putting my hands up.

We were discussing how to set up the tables in the meadow, where we would hold the ceremony – under a tent, just in case – when Edward and Jasper walked into the living room.

"How's the planning going?" Jasper asked, leaning down to kiss Alice on the forehead.

"Perfectly," she replied. "Bella's much more susceptible to my whims then she was as a human."

"Good," Edward smiled, sitting next to me and wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "She's been more susceptible in other ways as well."

"Edward!" I whined, elbowing him in the ribs. "Don't tell them that!"

"Oh what," Alice said. "You think we can't hear you two? It was bad enough when you were a human, now you scream even louder."

I put my face in my hands and groaned.

"Hey," Edward said, "Don't be embarrassed; it's beyond flattering that I can get this kind of reaction out of you. Remember? We were both afraid that you'd change so much after you changed, and you haven't – our connection is still there."

I looked up at him, "That's true; I still feel as strong a pull to you as I did as a human."

He took my face in his hands and gazed into my eyes with a surprised look on his face.

"What?"

"Your eyes," he said quietly. "They're not red anymore; they've changed to…they're not topaz like ours, they're almost back to your original color – deep, rich brown."

"Maybe I'm just hungry, and that's why they're so dark," I said.

"We just went hunting last night," Alice said. "You're eyes shouldn't be this dark for about two weeks."

I stood to look in the bathroom mirror; they were right, my eyes were brown, not as dark as they were before, but still darker than Edward's or Alice's. It was almost as if my body was trying to retain as much as my human existence as possible.

Edward walked silently into the bedroom and rested his chin on my shoulder, "Do you like what you see?"

"I do," I said turning to him. "Especially when you're standing next to me."

He smiled and pulled me tightly against him, capturing my lips firmly. I threw my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss; he lifted me so I sat on the countertop.

"Alright, you two," Emmett said, sticking his head in the bathroom, "Take that stuff upstairs."

I concentrated on the door and flung it shut in Emmett's face. "Hey! Keep your woman under control, Edward!"

Edward chuckled against my lips and continued to kiss me passionately. Our lips slanted against each other's for another few minutes until he pulled away.

"I was thinking," he said, leaning up against the counter next to me. "Maybe we should abstain until after the wedding."

"What would be the point of that?" I asked. "It's not like it'll be like the first time; we'll just be sleeping apart, wishing we were with each other."

"But, maybe the longing will make the wedding night even better," he said.

I gazed down at the floor thoughtfully. He had a point – even though it was only three days away, it would be just the right amount of time for us to begin to feel that intense wanting. I turned to Edward, "You're right; we should cool off a bit until the wedding. It will make the wedding night ten times better."

He grinned and kissed me one more time. We exited the bathroom to find Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Matt and Kate sitting in the living room. Matt was beyond infatuated with Kate at this point, and I couldn't be happier for him. Hopefully we would one day find Charlie a companion as well.

Edward sat in a big, overstuffed chair and pulled me into his lap; I pressed my forehead to his and closed my eyes. Maybe this abstinence thing wouldn't be so hard. After all, it's good enough to just be near him.

_Get a room you two_, Matt thought.

_Quiet! I could say the same for you and Kate. Have I told you how glad I am that you found her? You seem to be happier than you were when we were humans._

_Hey, if I knew vampire girls were going to be, I'd have asked Carlisle to change me sooner._

_Really? _

This was a voice I recognized, but never heard in my head before. I looked to Edward to find him smiling slyly at me.

_Edward, you can hear us?_

_Yes, and you can hear me now, too, I suppose. Concentrate and see if you can hear anyone else._

I closed my eyes and focused on Alice; she was still thinking of how we would arrange the flowers for the wedding. Jasper was imagining how he would go out tonight and find a nice grizzly to eat. Emmett was contemplating challenging Matt to a wrestling match while Rosalie was thinking of how she would talk me and Alice into letting her wear a different bridesmaid dress. Kate was having sweet thoughts about Matt, and how she was hoping he would kiss her soon.

I looked back to Edward with a wicked smile.

_I can hear all of them._

He smiled:_ Just be careful with this power; sometimes they're thinking things you don't want to know._

I returned his smile and kissed the end of his nose as Irena, Carmen, Eleazar and Tanya walked into the living room. Tanya gave me her typical, hateful look, but the other three gave me excited expressions.

"Bella! Are you excited to be getting married in a few days?" Carmen asked.

"I am," I said, nuzzling Edward's nose with mine; Tanya looked like she wanted to puke.

"Well," Irena said, "We were thinking we need to have some kind of bachelorette party for you. Tomorrow night, we're going to go into Anchorage to have a little fun in the city."

I gave Alice a panicked expression and she turned to the girls, "Bella isn't ready to be out in public yet, how about we just have a girl's night in."

"Oh, come on," Tanya interjected. "You want to go out, don't you Bella? You've been cooped up for too long."

"It's not a good idea," Edward said.

"Well, what about you, Edward? Are you going to go have a bachelor party?"

Tanya was smirking inside – I wasn't aware of just how much she hated my relationship with Edward until this moment.

"No," he said – Emmett groaned and Edward shot him a warning glance. "I don't need a party; I'm marrying Bella."

_Please, _Tanya thought_, she's nothing special._

I tensed up at her thoughts, but Edward rubbed my back gently: _Don't let her get to you._

I turned to him and nodded. I was going to rise above Tanya – Edward and I am going to be together forever, and she just had to deal with that.

On Friday, the designer, Alfonso, showed up with the dress and bags full of fabric. Alice danced around the house with glee at the prospect of a real designer being in the house.

"Hello Alfonso! Come in, can we get you anything?" Alice asked excitedly.

"Alice, let the man come in and get settled," Esme laughed.

"Where is the bride?" Alfonso asked; Alice pushed me forward and Alfonso appraised me critically.

"Very nice," he said finally. "She is not too tall, nice bone structure, beautiful dark hair and eyes – those eyes, they are spectacular; I have never seen this color of eyes in a vampire before."

I stood awkwardly as Alfonso praised my appearance; even as a vampire, I wasn't able to take compliments well.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

"Now," he said, picking up the khaki-colored bag with my dress in it, "You will be putting this on so I can see what needs to be done – go, go, now!"

I walked into the downstairs bathroom and pulled the dress out of the bag, it was beautiful – cream-colored with delicate silver detailing and a gathered, ball gown style skirt, just like Alice showed me. I put it on, and it fit me like a glove.

I walked out to show Alfonso and was met with a chorus of "awe's," from Alice, Esme and Rosalie.

"I am a genius, am I not?" Alfonso asked.

"You are, Alfonso!" Alice cried. "It's better than I had imagined."

"What, you didn't see this coming, Alice?" I teased.

"Oh, be quiet and revel in how beautiful you look," she replied.

I turned to Esme who had her right hand pressed to her mouth like she was trying to hold back a sob. She rushed to me and threw her arms around me.

"Bella! My beautiful, wonderful Bella! You're exquisite."

"Thank you, Esme," I said hugging her tight.

"OK, now that we are past all of the emotion, I need to make sure everything is perfect," Alfonso said. "Come Bellissima! Stand here on the pedestal."

I stepped up on the stool in the middle of the room as Alfonso check to make sure every hem and stitch and bead was in place. It took him all of five seconds.

"Perfecto! You are ready; you can take the dress off and put it in a safe place, capiche?"

"Yes sir," I said, saluting him half-heartedly.

"Now, we have the material for the bridesmaids' dresses," he said opening the bag. "Miss Alice tells me there will be three bridesmaids, and they get to pick their own style? Who would like to go first?"

As Alfonso went to work getting Alice, Esme and Rosalie's measurements, I put the dress back in the bag and took it up to my bedroom. Edward was lying on the bed reading a book.

"Hello my love, how was the fitting?" He asked standing to come wrap me up in his embrace.

I kissed him lightly, "It was nice and quick. He didn't even have to fix anything; Alice must have been very specific when giving him my measurements."

He grinned, "Well, I helped a bit in that department."

"How?"

"Alice wasn't exactly sure what size your breasts were and she was too shy to ask you, so I filled her in – so to speak."

"Oh really? What size are my breasts?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"About this big," he replied holding up his cupped hands.

"You pig," I cried as he turned his cupped hands on me and began to chase me around the room.

"Am I wrong?" He asked as we ran over the bed and around the dresser.

"No, but still, you could have had a little more tact about it," I laughed.

He finally caught me and wrestled me to the floor; I knew I could have easily thrown him off me, but I was more interested in having his strong chest pressed against me. His lips were just inches from mine when the door flew open and Matt and Emmett stormed in.

"What's going on in here?" Matt asked standing over us.  
"Nothing," I said, "Mind your own business, Matthew."

"Hey, it's our job to make sure you two don't do any of that…disgusting stuff you do," Matt said. "We're just doing our job."

Edward sighed and stood, helping me up in the process. I glared at Matt and went to put my dress in the closet.

"Maatttt…" came a voice from the hall, "Where are you?"

It was Kate, and Matt turned and ran to her like a whipped, little puppy.

"Coming sweetie."

Emmett rolled his eyes at us and turned, shutting the door behind him.

"So," Edward began, placing his hands on my hips, "Where were we?"

"We were about to go talk to Carlisle, Charlie and Alice to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow," I said.

He pouted, but I managed to get him to behave and walk down to the family room where everyone was waiting. Outside, the tent was already set up; Alice had arranged the area underneath with chairs for our few guests to sit it. There was a small archway down from the chairs for Carlisle to stand while he officiated, and Alice was showing Charlie where he would lead me from. Edward and I walked into view and were immediately bombarded by Alice.

"OK, Edward, you're just going to stand right here, that's easy enough, right? And Bella, you're going to be in the foyer with Charlie and you're going to start marching down to the tune of…"

Alice's words started to run together, I was lost in this sudden rush of joy that washed over me. Tomorrow, I'd be Mrs. Edward Cullen, and little else mattered to me at the point. Alice finished her spiel and Carlisle sat Edward and me down in the family room to talk about the ceremony.

"Now, how traditional do you want the ceremony to be? I'm not sure how religious you are, Bella."

"We've never been religious," I said, looking to Edward. "But, if you want the ceremony to be religious, I won't mind."

"I just want the standard thing," Edward said. "Just, something simple; it's just a formality anyway, isn't it? I have you for the rest of eternity whether we're married or not."

Carlisle smiled, "Alright, simple and traditional it is, then."

Once Carlisle had finished his talk, Esme walked over and sat next to us on the coach. She put an arm around me and stroked my hair gently.

"How are you feeling, Bella?" She asked.

"Honestly, I'm anxious," I laughed. "I just want it to be tomorrow night already."

"I know how you feel," she said. "When I married Carlisle, I thought I would go mad from nerves the day before. But, it is worth it."

"That it is," I said as I turned to kiss Edward gently.

I turned back to Esme who smiled warmly at me, "Young love, how I miss it."

I rested my head on Esme's shoulder as Emmett's voice rang from upstairs, "Edward!! Get up here and get fitted for your tux before I kill this little Italian putz!!"

Edward sighed, "I'll see you tomorrow, my love; I'll be the hansom one with the ring."

He kissed me one last time and walked reluctantly up to face his fate. Esme sighed and press her head to mine; I felt so safe and loved in her arms – almost as much as I did in Edward's.

"Esme?" I asked, tentatively. "I was wondering if…it would be OK for me to…call you mom."

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and her eyes were glowing a strange, bright yellow. At first I thought she was going to get upset.

"Bella! I would love for you to call me mom! I couldn't think of anything I'd love more!" She leaned over and kissed my cheek softly and I pulled her in for a tight squeeze – Esme, my mom. Now I really felt complete.

Alice, Esme and Rosalie kept me out near a beautiful serene lake all night to try and take my mind off of things, while the boys were out playing games in the forest. It didn't help that I could hear Matt and Emmett yelling from miles away. Once the sun came up, we went back to the house to finalize all of the details.

The girls modeled their dresses for me – all were a lovely, soft orchid-color, but Alice's was the shortest, of course, hanging just at her knee with a halter top that had twisted straps. Esme's was the most simple, just a tea-length, a-line dress with spaghetti straps – but, she still looked stunning. Rosalie's looked like something out of Vogue – long, sleek and strapless. It made her look taller and more perfect than usual; even she thought so.

Alice started fixing my hair around 3 p.m., and was onto my make up in less than twenty minutes. Though, my hair looked as if it should have taken even the most experienced professional two hours.

Rosalie painted my nails the same purple color as the bridesmaid dresses while Esme took my gown out of its bag and – armed with a handheld steamer – made sure it was perfectly pressed.

It was 5 p.m. before I knew it, and I started to feel unbelievably nervous. If my heart could beat, it would have gone into cardiac arrest already. It got worse as I saw Charlie standing there, waiting to give me away.

"My beautiful Bella," he said as I linked arms with him. "What an elegant bride you make."

"I don't feel elegant," I confessed with a laugh. "I feel like I want to throw up."

He chuckled, "Normal feelings even for a vampire bride, I suppose."

I gave him a weak smile as the music started playing, signally we were meant to walk outside and down to the alter. Edward was waiting there, looking devastatingly hansom. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as Charlie passed my arm to Edward, who tucked it into his tightly.

Carlisle proceeded and I was vaguely aware of his words – something about love, honor and obey; I had no problem with any of those stipulations.

"You may now kiss the bride," Carlisle finally said with a smile.

Edward lurched forward and titled me back dramatically before planting a big kiss on me. It was a strangely perfect way to begin our strange union.

While the others began to chat and dance under the tent, Edward discreetly stole me away for other pursuits.

Other pursuits? Start speculating now… 


	15. Chapter 15

I was still in a wedding induced haze when Edward pulled me up to the third floor of the house After the wedding … Sorry, guys, this would have been out sooner, but life got in the way! I just had to go see _The Dark Knight_ today! Highly recommended! And not just because you get to see the 2nd T_wilight_ trailer on the big screen!

I was still in a wedding induced haze when Edward pulled me up to the third floor of the house. I thought he meant to take us to our room, but he reached for a rope that controlled a hidden door in the ceiling. As he pulled, a ladder shot down, which he caught easily and set on the floor in front of us.

"Why are we going to the attic?" I asked.

"It has better insulation," he said with a wicked grin. "I haven't been saving myself for almost four days to just have a simple, romantic evening with you."

He held out his hand to help me up the ladder, but I hesitated, "Wait; let me get out of this dress first."

I rushed into the room without waiting for his response and practically ripped the dress off – I knew Alice might be upset with me for ruining it, but that wasn't any of my concern right now. I found a silk, pink nightgown that Rosalie had purchased for me; I slipped it over my head and returned to Edward, waiting patiently by the ladder. He gave me a lascivious nod of approval before helping me climb the ladder.

Once we were up in the loft, I was amazed at how much effort Edward put into this; it didn't look like an attic at all, it was more like a lounge at the Playboy Mansion. There were two low, overstuffed couches and a soft, plush carpet. In the corner, there was a mattress on the floor with dozens of pillows and a very luxurious looking duvet.

This was going to be a great night.

Edward came up behind me, but he didn't reach out – just stood close enough so I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. I closed my eyes and slowly, stealthily moved so my back was pressed against his chest. His erection protruded towards the small of my back and I almost gasped and pulled away. He grabbed my hips suddenly and placed his lips against the side of my neck; he sucked and nibbled gently my skin while his hands trailed down the sides of my thighs to find the hem of my nightgown. He yanked it up and off of me in the blink of an eye.

_So much for changing into that_, I thought.

_It was a nice gesture, _he countered_, just...unnecessary._

_I don't know when I'm going to get used to you being able to hear my thoughts._

_Same here._

I turned toward him and ripped his shirt open – he had, thankfully, already rid himself of his coat and tie. I pushed the now wasted piece of fabric off of his strong shoulders and ran my finger nails down his arms.

He attacked my mouth as my hands found their way to the button on his trousers. I took his pants and boxers down in one swift tug and he kicked them to the side, but I didn't stand back up – I just sat there on my knees, gazing at my husband's erection. I couldn't help myself, I reached out and stroked his shaft lovingly. The skin was almost smoother and more perfect than it was on any other part of his exquisite body.

I took it in my mouth and began to lick and suck roughly as he threw his head back and clutched his hands in my hair, encouraging my attentions. I continued until he was just to the point of climax and pulled away.

Edward growled deep in his throat, "You evil woman!"

"Patience husband, we have all night – and all of eternity."

His growl of frustration turned into a low, seductive purring sound that rang in his chest as he lifted me up against him and carried me to the bed. It was just as breathtakingly soft as I assumed it would be, and it was a most pleasant contrast to the hardness of our bodies.

He wasted no time entering me and working himself into a frenzy. There was an incredible friction building up between our two bodies, and I could feel myself begin to convulse wildly as he pounded into me. Before I knew it, I was screaming and arching my back up toward him as if to take more of him into me – to receive more of this unbelievable sensation.

Edward had one had grasped firmly onto the wall just behind our heads; his other hand lifted me so I was no longer on the bed, just holding onto him for dear life. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he started to rear back and buck his hips into me. His guttural growl was back as he suddenly lurched forward with a grunt – punching his fist through the wall.

We collapsed back onto the bed, spent. It was amazing – as if all of my senses were even more heightened than before. I was sure how it was possible for my body to become this excited; my heart no longer beat within my chest, but I still somehow felt like a livewire – like hot, passionate blood was coursing through me.

Edward's head rested on my shoulder; he leaded his face towards me and kissed my collarbone gently. "Incredible, my love," he whispered. "Simply incredible; well worth waiting more than 100 years for."

I smiled and wrapped my arms back around him; I never wanted to leave this attic.

Unfortunately, we had to; after two days of staying in and making love all day, we had to get out. Edward took me on a quasi-honeymoon into the Yukon; we stayed at a cabin near the Avail National Park while we hunted.

Edward said he was hungry for mountain lion. And, truthfully, I wanted to try some as well. He caught a large, female just outside of the reserve and gave me a taste. I enjoyed it very much; but I was still hungry, and I was up for a challenge.

It came in the form of a 10 foot polar bear; I found him hunting near a small stream, scooping up fish with a flick of his massive paw. This was certainly an animal that could easily take my life.

I moved to a rock just above his head as he tried to stay hidden along with bank of the stream. As he dipped his paw into the water I leapt and sank my teeth into his neck; he tried to throw me, but I held on and managed to flip him onto his back, snapping his neck in the process – no need to make the poor beast suffer anymore than he had to.

Once I was finished, I found Edward standing upon the rock a jumped from giving me a surprised look.

_Polar bear? That's quite the feat._

I shook my head indifferently: _It was nothing._

He laughed and joined me by the stream where I washed the bear's blood from my hands.

_So, how did it taste?_

I looked up and grinned: I think I have a new favorite.

We stayed in the Yukon for three weeks, and then made our way back to Denali to find two of our family missing – Emmett and Rosalie. According to Carlisle, they were so inspired by our wedding and honeymoon they decided to have another honeymoon of their own.

"They've gone to Ireland," Carlisle said, "They're thinking of staying for about three months, and then they'll see where they want to go from there."

"Oh," I replied, a little dejected. "So, we don't know when we'll see them again?"

Carlisle smiled at me, "No, we don't, but it doesn't matter; it's not as if we don't have all of eternity to spend together."

"I guess so," I smiled.

Edward and I sat out on a porch with Esme, Carlisle and Charlie. We told them of our adventures – Charlie seemed a bit disturbed about my incident with the polar bear.

"So," Edward said putting his arm around my shoulders casually, "What's been going on here since we've been gone?"

"Not much," Esme said. "Well, besides Emmett and Rosalie leaving, that is; Jasper and Alice have continued to help Charlie and Matt hone their instincts."

"How about the girls?" I asked, realizing I hadn't seen any of them since we arrived.

Esme and Carlisle looked to each other briefly before Carlisle spoke up. "They have moved on, actually. Tanya had them all pack up and move out the day after you two left."

"Even Kate?" I asked; Carlisle nodded. "But why? Why would she do that? Didn't she see how much Kate and Matt liked each other? Why would she just take her away from him?"

"I have no idea, dearest," Carlisle replied. "She wasn't very straightforward with us; she only said it was time for her family to leave Denali for a while."

I sat back and fumed – how dare Tanya do this! She may not like me, but she didn't have to take it out on my brother. That was worse than simply punishing me; of course, I'm sure that's what she had in mind all along.

Just then, Alice, Jasper and Matt walked out to sit with us, Matt sat on the other side of me and put his head on my shoulder.

_How does it feel to be married, sis?_

_Good…amazing, actually. I can't remember the last time I was this happy._

_Neither can I; and who knows you better than me?_

_Me perhaps_, Edward interjected.

_Sure…now, but you've only been able to read her mind for a few months – I've been inside her head since we were born._

_Touché._

_Stop it, you two, I chided. If you can't play nice, I'm going to have to give you both a time out._

I wouldn't mind that, Edward countered.

_AWW! Gross! Matt whined._

"Hey!" Alice yelled from across the porch. "Quit having conversations that we can't be in on."

Edward stuck out his tongue at her. We continued to talk until the sun went down – it was still strange to me that the sunset didn't mean it was time for bed; at least, not in the soporific sense.

Alice and Jasper went to sit out in the clearing, under the stars, while Esme, Carlisle and Charlie all went inside to otherwise occupy themselves. I really wanted to talk to Matt alone and see how Kate's leaving was affecting him. I gave Edward a pleading look and he nodded and kissed my forehead, "I'll be upstairs."

Matt and I sat on the porch swing and gazed at the stars.

How are you feeling? I asked.

He turned to me and gave me a smirk: _Are we talking about Kate?_

_Yes; are you OK?_

_It's not like we were in love or anything, Bells – I'll get over it._

_How can you be so cavalier now? I saw the way you looked at her; you really, really liked her._

_Puppy love_, he shrugged.

_No, more than that! You had thoughts of what your life could be like with her! Don't pretend like you didn't, you know I can see right through you._

He sighed in frustration and looked down to his shoes: Has it ever occurred to you that I might now want to talk about this – or think about it?

_Yes, but you should talk about it – and think about it; you shouldn't bottle things up, and I should know. It only makes you unhappy and resentful._

_So, now the married woman needs to teach me about life?_

I gave him a wearied glance: No! I just want you to know that I'm here when you need me.

His expression softened and he leaned his head into mine gently: _I know; I'm sorry. I'll get better at this, I promise._

_Good; now, I'm off to find my husband._

_Too much information!_

I smirked at him and walked back into the house. Edward wasn't in the room we had shared when we first got to Denali, which meant he had to be up in the attic. I pulled the trap door down and climbed into the loft to find him looking through an album full of photos.

"Where did you find that?" I asked sitting on the bed next to him.

"Esme gave it to me," he said. "She said she and Rosalie put it together after the wedding."

The album was full of shots that ranged from Charlie leading me down the aisle to Edward and me dancing our first dance – we didn't stay long after that.

"This was nice of them," I said as he passed me the album and put his arm around my waist. I looked through the photos and noticed most of the shots of me captured a dazed and unaware expression.

Truth be told, I wasn't even aware anyone was taking pictures that day. I was too lost in my own world – and that world was only populated by me and Edward. Especially during our dance, the music was Debussy, but, of course that was a no-brainer; we had to play "Clare de Lune" during our first dance.

It wouldn't have really mattered what music was played, though, because once I was that close to Edward, and totally wrapped up in the moment – and the knowledge that we were now married – I couldn't be bothered by something as trivial as music.

As I flipped through the pages, I sensed that Edward was not looking at the photos, but at me. I glanced up at him to find his eyes studying me closely.

"What?"

"How did I get so lucky? How did I find the world's most perfect woman and convince her to marry me?"

"I ask myself a very similar question every day," I said. "How did I happen to move to the very place where the most amazing man was waiting for me?"

"You overestimate me."

"As you do with me," I countered. "So, we'll just have to settle for each other, won't we?"

He grinned and attacked my lips with fervor, I responded in kind.

"I cherish the day I first brought out this vampire instinct you," he moaned against my lips.

"So do I," I said.

He threw the photo album aside in his haste to begin ridding me of my clothes. Later, while we were lying in the afterglow of our love-making, I began to worry about Matt again. As much as he tried to hide his pain from me, it was impossible not to notice how sad he was.

I'm determined to find a way to get him and Kate back together.

So, I need some help deciding where to take this story next. Suggestions? 


	16. Chapter 16

Matt and I had started to become restless in Denali – we were more than capable of finding our own food, and our powers seemed This is a shorter chapter, just to move the story along – sorry :-(

Matt and I had started to become restless in Denali; we were more than capable of finding our own food, and our abilities seemed to be back to normal – much to Matt's chagrin. But, Edward and Carlisle were still hesitant to take us back to civilization.

"We can't rush these things," Carlisle said. "The last thing we want is for either of you to get out in public and not be able to control yourselves."

"But, how do you even know we'll have any urges?" Matt asked. "We weren't like normal humans, what makes you think we'll be like normal vampires?"

"You're right," Carlisle said. "I don't know, but I still don't want to take any chances."

"How will we know what our limits are if we don't try?" I asked quietly.

Carlisle and Edward looked to each other and sighed.

"What about Charlie?" Edward asked turning to me. "He's nowhere near ready to go out in public."

"I will stay here with him," Esme said, entering the room.

She smiled at Carlisle, who gazed down to the floor and nodded gently. "Alright, we'll take you down to Wasilla – it's not densely populated, so it should be a good test for you two. If we sense so much as a minor slip, we'll bring you back without hesitation."

Matt and I gave each other excited looks then turned to nod at Carlisle; he shook his head gently and chuckled. I walked over to Edward, who tried to maintain an unreadable expression, but he couldn't hide his disdain from me – he didn't think we were ready.

_Have faith in me, please._

He met my eyes and his expression softened: _I do, it's just…I know how hard it was for me to adjust. And I just want you to be sure you're ready._

_I am, I wouldn't have asked to go if I wasn't. Plus, I feel safe knowing you and Carlisle are there to help keep us in line. You'll know if Matt or I are about to lose control as soon as we do, remember?_

_He chuckled: Yes, I remember. OK, let's give it a try._

I kissed him gently and we all piled into Carlisle's SUV to drive six hours to Wasilla.

"Wouldn't it be faster if we all ran?" Matt asked as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"Yes," Carlisle answered with a smirk. "But, the car is a vital part of blending in, son."

Matt nodded in agreement and flipped on the radio. Edward and I sat in the back; he wrapped me in his arms and pulled my back against his chest. I rested my head on his shoulder and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

"You two have fed recently, right?" Carlisle asked suddenly as we past a sign that read: Wasilla – 5 miles.

"Yes," Matt said. "I caught a huge black bear the day before yesterday."

"Bella?" Carlisle asked, his eyes searching mine from the rearview mirror.

"Two lynxes last night," I replied – and sure enough, my eyes were a nice, golden brown.

Carlisle nodded and pulled into a parking spot just outside of a small grocery store. Edward held my hand firmly as he led me inside the shop.

I walked past people and could smell their blood. But, it wasn't as alluring as I thought it was going to be. Sure, it smelled good, but it wasn't so much more tempting than the scent of an animal. Edward turned to gauge my expression and I smiled at him.

_This isn't bad at all._

He was still skeptical: _Really? You don't feel the need to attack anybody? _

Just then, a young man walked in our direction and Edward pulled me over to the side of the aisle. As the man passed, I sniffed at the air and Edward tightened his grip on my hand.

_Edward! I'm not going to do anything. In fact, that guy smelled rather repulsive if you ask me; nothing at all like you._

I nuzzled the back of his neck with my nose and he turned fully towards me, bending down for a quick kiss.

_Get a room!_ Matt thought as he passed us on his way down the aisle.

_Where are you going?_ I asked.

_Just wandering,_ he turned the corner at the end of the aisle and I heard him gasp audibly.

"Kate, what are you doing here?"

I practically ran to the end of the aisle to find Matt standing face to face with Kate. She stood there as if she had been hoping to find him here.

"Kate, hi how are you?" I asked as I gave her a hug.

She awkwardly hugged me back, "I've been OK; Tanya and the rest went off to Romania, but I got bored and I realized there was something I left back here."

"What?" Matt asked, as if he didn't already know.

"You," she said as she reached up to kiss him; he lifted her and deepened their kiss.

_Get a room!_ I said, turning to walk back to the front of the store but not missing Matt flipping me off.

Edward smirked at me as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders; we walked out the front door where we found Carlisle standing outside waiting for us.

"How did it go?" He asked as we approached him.

Edward smiled down at me, "They're ready."

"Good," Carlisle replied. "Where's Matt?"

Just then, Matt and Kate walked out of the store laughing loudly.

"Where did she come from?" Carlisle whispered to us.

"She came back for Matt," I said, smiling at my brother.

The two came over and Kate looked a little sheepishly at Carlisle. "Hello Carlisle, how are you?"

"I'm well Kate; and you? How is your family?"

"We're all well," she said.

There was a sudden moment of awkward silence as Kate had an internal battle – trying to decide how to ask Carlisle to let her stay. Matt gave me a pleading glance and I nodded, "Carlisle, we should have Kate stay with us," I said. "She probably doesn't have anywhere else, do you Kate?"

"Um, no I don't," she said quietly.

"Oh," Carlisle said. "Then of course you must stay. I mean, after all, it is your family's home. We're really the guests here."

"Yeah, and it will only be temporary," Matt said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, Kate and I will be moving along soon," he said. "We'll want to start a life somewhere else, just like you and Edward."

"But…" I began, but Edward cut me off.

_He's right; he and Kate were meant to be, Bella. Just like you and I were; why put it off any longer?_

I nodded and we all piled into the car. I kept gazing thoughtfully at Edward and he finally got fed up with my hesitation.

_Yes, my love?_

_When are we going to go off on our own? And where are we going to go? We haven't even talked about that._

_I didn't want to get too into it until I knew you were ready to be out in public. We can talk about this when we get home._

_How about now? We do have six hours, you know._

_This isn't a decision I want to make in the back of Carlisle's car, do you? We can sit down and talk about this seriously, and you want to talk about it with Charlie, right?_

_You're right, I relented, I do, and he needs to know that both Matt and I are ready to leave the nest. _

He kissed my forehead and I snuggled closer to his chest.

It was well into the next morning by the time we got back to Denali and Edward and I walked into the house to find Charlie and Esme sitting in the front room reading.

"Charlie, Esme, I think we all need to have a talk," Edward said.

Esme nodded and put her book down, but Charlie looked skeptical. "What do we need to talk about?"

"Something really important," I said. "It concerns me and Matt."

He sighed and got out of his chair to follow us into the dining room – this was becoming a theme with our family: take all important discussions into the dining room, the otherwise least used room in the house.

"OK, let's not beat around the bush here, just spill," Charlie said as he sat down.

"If that's the way you want it," I said. "Edward and I are going to be leaving as soon as we figure out where we want to start our lives."

Charlie nodded, "That makes sense, you two are married now, and you should be getting out on your own."

"And Kate and I are going to do the same," Matt said.

Charlie looked up at Matt with one raised eyebrow, "Matthew, how long have you known this girl? I like you should take more time before you start thinking about living together."

"Why? We're not going to find anyone else," Matt said. "We're supposed to be together, and we're not going to waste time over-thinking the situation."

Charlie looked down at his feet and sighed, "Why are you both so quick to leave me behind? Especially now?"

"We're not so quick to leave you, we didn't come upon these decisions lightly," I said. "And if you really want us to stay, we will."

Matt looked like he was about to argue, but I shot him a withering glare and he kept his mouth shut. Charlie looked up at me and gave a weak smile, "I know what you're doing, Bella. I can get along fine on my own, it's just hard to let go."

"Charlie," Carlisle began. "Esme and I have been thinking of going to Italy, we would be happy if you would join us."

"I don't want to impose," Charlie said.

"It's not imposition," Esme said, putting her hand on his. "We'd really be delighted; it's always exciting to take someone abroad who's never been. You'll have a wonderful time."

Charlie chuckled, "OK, you don't have to twist my arm. I have always wanted to visit the catacombs."

"That settles it then, we'll book the tickets tomorrow," Carlisle said.  
"So," Charlie began, "What are you kids going to do?"

"Well, it just so happens I've been making plans for quite sometime," Edward said. "I can't believe I've been able to keep them from Bella for this long."

Edward stood and walked to a small desk in the front room; he took out two large envelopes and handed them to me.

"Dartmouth? What will we do there?" I asked.

"Whatever you want," Edward laughed. "Our test scores were more than sufficient to get both of us admitted; now we just have to decide what we'd like to major in."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" I asked.

"I wanted this to be a sort of late wedding present," he said.

"Aren't we too late to begin, though? It's late August."

"No, we're fine," he said.

"But how did you know I'd be ready by now?"

"I didn't; I just hoped that you would," he said. "And I put all of the paperwork through just in case."

I hugged him, "Thank you, Edward, this is a great present."

We went up to our room and I was still pouring over the course guides.

"This is exciting," I said. "I get to choose what I want to learn! I've never been given that chance before."

"I'm glad you're so enthused."

"I should do something completely left-of-center, like study art, or a language or…of course! Music!"

"I didn't know you played an instrument."

"I don't, I sing; I would love to have more professional training, though."

"Sing for me."

I blushed, "Not right now."

"Come on, my love, it's just you and me, no need to be shy."

He gave me an encouraging smile and I sighed; I took a deep breath and straightened my back to lift my diaphragm. The lyrics flowed from my mouth easily – even more so than they had when I was a human.

_Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling_

_From glen to glen, and down the mountain side_

_The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying_

'_Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide._

_But come ye back when summer's in the meadow_

_Or when the valleys hushed and white with snow_

'_Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow_

_Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so._

_And if you come, when all the flowers are dying_

_And I am dead, as dead I well may be_

_You'll come and find the place where I am lying_

_And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me._

_And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me_

_And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be_

_If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me_

_I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me._

_I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me._

I finished the song and started blushing again, "Sorry, that was the first song that came to me."

"No, it was beautiful," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "I've never heard anything so beautiful."

I swatted his arm playfully, "Nothing's as beautiful as you playing the piano; that's hypnotizing."

He kissed the side of my neck, "Only when I'm playing for you."

I set the books aside and allowed him to carry me to the bed; he set me down and braced himself above me.

"My beautiful Bella," he whispered. "My beautiful wife."

I can't believe I get to spend all of eternity like this.

Next up, we find out where Kate and Matt are headed, and we get a closer look at Tanya – is she really as bad as she seems? 


	17. Chapter 17

"So, what's in New York On with the story…

"So, what's in New York?" I asked Matt as he pack his bags. He and Kate had decided to go to upstate New York, somewhere around Syracuse.

"Well," he said. "Besides there being an average of 205 cloudy days there, it's also near where Kate grew up."

"She finally remembered?" I asked.

Matt told me the story of how Kate had been changed by Tanya in the early 1930s. Kate had been slowly dying from Polio since the age of 10 and soon became afraid she would die without seeing the world. She tried to run away, but only made it as far as Utica before she collapsed, too weak to carry on. Tanya found her in a hospital and took pity on her – changing her and saving her life. Kate couldn't remember much of her past after that, and Tanya tried to keep it from her to save her the pain of remembering that while she would live forever, all her family and friends would die.

When the Denali clan left after the wedding, Tanya finally told Kate about her family, which was what prompted Kate to come back for Matt. She felt she needed to start a life of her own, with the man she loves.

"Wow Matt, that's amazing," I said.

"Isn't it?" He replied.

He zipped up his last suitcase and turned to me, "Well, Bye baby sister; I hope to see you again soon."

I suddenly had this empty feeling in the pit of my stomach as I hugged my brother goodbye. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't, my body wouldn't let me. I just stood there on the front porch as Matt and Kate walked off into the distance.

I realized later that night that it truly was time for Matt to figure out who he was meant to be – just as I had to do the same.

Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.

Not as scary as I had initially imagined.

Though, Edward insisted that we be as straightforward as possible, which meant not hiding the fact that we are married. It wasn't anything I assumed I should find unusual, until I found out that we would be the youngest couple living in off-campus housing. This is, apparently, not a common circumstance for students in their first year. But, the university allowed us – because of our exceptional pre-collegiate academic performances, Edward said – to live in a special housing unit for married students...on a probationary basis, that is.

Although I had already decided on majoring in vocal music, I was surprised to find that my first semester would be filled mostly with 'general education' classes. Edward said this has become standard practice with most American universities.

"They want you to be a well-rounded student," he said. "So, they make sure you have at least a basic knowledge of all subjects, not just the area you're interested in studying."

"That sounds so pointless, though," I said. "It would make sense if I didn't know what I wanted to pursue, it would help me choose; but how many students come into such a prestigious university not knowing what they will major in?"

"You'd be surprised," Edward laughed.

Thankfully, we did manage to schedule three classes together, including our introductory literature class. Edward and I walked there, hand in hand, only to be met by the glares of our fellow students, which ranged from curious, to lustful, to contemptuous.

What, did she follow her high school sweetheart to college? Good luck with that one, honey, thought a girl with chin-length black hair and dark-rimmed glasses.

Wow! Did those two just step out of an issue of Vanity Fair or something? Thought a heavy-set girl with long, brown hair. At least if everybody is staring at them, no one will have time to make fun of me.

Oh my god, that girl is gorgeous – this came from a tall, blond boy wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words 'Abercrombie and Fitch.' I wonder how long it will take me to steal her away from that pretty-boy loser.

I didn't want to hear what anyone else was thinking, so I concentrated on Edward who, in turn, was trying to drown out our classmates.

Just ignore them, he thought.

I nodded as we continued to wait for the professor to show up and open the doors. Suddenly, a tall man in reading glasses came walking down the hall – he had brown hair with streaks of gray on his sideburns and was dressed like I always imagined a professor would dress: twill jacket with a shirt and tie and a pair of brown slacks. I was almost giddy with excitement, I'd always wanted to be a college student and I'd always wanted to have a professor who looked like he was well-read and worldly. Edward chuckled silently at my excitement.

_I knew you'd like your present, but I didn't think it'd make you this happy._

I simply smiled and rested my head on his shoulder. We sat in the back corner of the room and observed our classmates: the girl in the glasses sat right up front, I assumed she would be very involved in every class discussion; the blond boy sat two seats up from Edward, so he could see me out of his peripheral vision when he turned his head slightly; and the other girl sat four seats to the left of Edward in the other corner – there was something so sad about her.

_Who?_ Edward asked.

_That girl to the left of you, she just seems sad to me._

Edward was still for a moment and gave a weak smile: She thinks that sitting on the other side of the room from us will focus attention away from her. She must get teased quite a bit.

I looked past Edward's shoulder to see the girl drawing in a notebook; she was now thinking about the blond boy in front of Edward and how she'd give anything for him to notice a girl like her. I just wished I could warn her about what a colossal jerk he actually is.

The professor cleared his throat to get our attention, "I'm Professor Mark Berretini, and this is Lit. 101. If you are in the wrong class, now would be the time to leave."

He paused and waited to see if anyone stood to exit – no one did. "Alright then, this semester is basically just a refresher course from the last literature class you took in high school, as many gen. ed. classes are. We will split the semester up into three units: Classical literature, modernist literature and postmodern literature."

He walked around his desk and pulled a stack of papers out of his briefcase, "These are your syllabi – learn them, love them and do not lose them, for they contain all the dates of when your essays are due. There will be nine essays – three per unit – and I will not accept late papers without a damn good excuse, i.e. grandmothers dying or the like. And I better get a call from somebody confirming said passing."

I took the syllabus handed to me and poured over the lengthy list of authors we would be reading. I found that I had read most of the list before.

_As have I_, Edward thought with a smile.

_But still, I thought, I'd love to re-read all of these._

The modernist unit caught my eye the most; all of my favorites were present: James Joyce, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, Marcel Proust...I am going to like this class.

"Next up for today," the professor said, breaking my reverie. "I would like you to get to know each other. This is a surprisingly small class for a 100-level course, so you won't have any trouble learning each other's names in an effort to be more respectful of one another."

He took out another stack of papers and handed them out to us, "This is a frivolous little exercise, but indulge me; I want you to meet another classmate – someone not sitting next to you – and learn a little bit about him or her. OK, go."

I sensed the blond boy was coming back to sit by me, and so did Edward.

Hurry, he thought, go sit by the girl in the corner.

I nodded before I stood and hurried over to her. As I sat in the desk next to her, she gave me a look of disbelief.

She wants to work with me? She thought.

"Hi, I'm Bella Cullen," I said. "What's your name?"

_I forgot my name._

I tried not to laugh as the girl stuttered for an answer, "Umm, I'm Maria...Maria Mansfield."

"Oh, like Katherine Mansfield! I love her writing," I said as cheerfully as possible.

But the girl still stared at me blankly, "I don't think I've read any of her stuff."

"She's wonderful," I said. "Her work is a little dark, but it's so beautifully written."

"Oh, OK...maybe we should get started on this."

"Alright, well we already know each other's names," I said looking at the list of questions. "How about your family? What are your parent's names?"

"Karen and Mark," she said. "Yours?"

"Well, Charlie Swan is my adoptive father – I'm not sure what my biological parents' names are – and Esme and Carlisle Cullen are my mother and father-in-law."

"In-law? You're married?"

"Yes, to Edward," I said turning to smile at him, he returned the smile, but I could tell he was becoming impatient with the vacuous blond boy who had no choice but to be his partner.

"But, you're so young."

"I know, but we figured why waste time, we were meant to be together."

Isn't it always the way? She thought. Pretty people marrying other pretty people.

I wanted to laugh and tell her that we weren't exactly 'people,' but managed to refrain. "Any brothers or sisters?"

"Only child," she said. "You?"

"A brother named Matt Swan," I replied. "Where were you born?"

"Concord," she said. "You?"

"Washington D.C."

"Nickname?" She asked.

"Bella is a nickname, my full name is Isabella. You?"

She blushed and ducked her head in embarrassment, "Um...Maria-tortilla."

I giggled, "That's so cute, I love it!"

"It's stupid," she said. "It's what my dad calls me."

"Well, what do your friends call you?"

_Friends? Ha! What are those? She thought._

"Let's just go to the next one," she said.

We finished the worksheet just as Edward had finished his with the blond boy; whose name I had learned was Jeremy Thompson. Edward turned to me with a smiled and I winked at him, making sure Jeremy could see.

_Wish I could find a boyfriend like that, or any boyfriend, really, Maria thought._

I turned back to her and she was gazing at Jeremy.

"Do you like him?" I asked.

"Who?"

"The blond guy," I said. "You look at him an awful lot."

"He's cute," she said sheepishly. "But, I bet he only dates tall blonds with zero body fat. And, I don't know if you noticed, but that does not describe me."

"You don't know that," I said. "He might prefer brunettes."

"Yeah, well he'll still probably never look twice at me."

The professor announced that class was dismissed as soon as we finished our worksheets and brought them up to his desk. Edward grabbed my bag sitting next to my desk and threw it over his shoulder, "Ready?"

"Yeah," I said. "By the way, Edward this is Maria; Maria, this is my husband, Edward."

"Hi," she said shyly.

"Hi Maria, it's nice to meet you," he said and reached out to shake her hand. She looked at it tentatively and turned to walk out the door.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked.

"I just think you dazzled her too much."

He gave me a wicked grin, "Do I dazzle you?"

"Frequently."

I was glad I had at least one music class, even if it wasn't specifically related to singing. It was just an Intro to music theory class, but at least it could only help expand my knowledge of music. I know how to sight read and I can hear in perfect pitch, but this formal training is going to be wonderful.

The professor, Dr. Harrison, gave us the same lecture as all my other professors. I was beginning to see that the first day of class here was the same – get a syllabus, introduce yourself and then go off to buy the books necessary to complete the class.

I got back to our apartment to find some unexpected guests: Alice and Jasper.

"Hey! What are you two doing here?" I asked as Alice bound over to hug me.

"In the neighborhood," Jasper said. "Thought we'd stop by."

"In the neighborhood? You two said you were going to go to Ireland with Emmett and Rosalie," I said.

"They're boring," Alice whined. "We needed entertainment, and we thought that watching you go through your first four years as a college student would be better than watching Emmett try to fool people with his fake Irish accent."

"I'm a little sorry I'll miss that," I said.

"No," Jasper said. "You're really not."

We sat and chatted until Edward walked in, "I thought I heard some inane thoughts coming from the vicinity of my apartment."

Jasper stood and punched him playfully in the shoulder, "How were you sure it wasn't Bella's inane thoughts?"

"She doesn't have any inane thoughts," he said sitting by me and putting his arm around my shoulders. "Her thoughts are always brilliant."

I kissed him gently and Jasper made a sort of gagging sound, "You two are getting to be too cutesy for words. It's sickening."

Alice elbowed him in the ribs and turned to us, "So, how was the first day of school?"

"It was fine," I said. "I just had to come to the horrifying realization that I'm not going to be able to actually focus on my major for at least another year."

"Ah, poor Bella," Alice said sitting next to me. "You have all of eternity to learn everything you ever wanted to know, so relax."

I smiled, "So, what are you two going to do now? Are you going to go back to school or are you guys going to do some traveling?"

"We haven't decided," Alice said. "There really isn't a lot we haven't done; so we're kind of running out of ideas."

"You haven't been to university overseas," Edward said. "Why not try that?"

Jasper gave a short laugh, "Because Alice doesn't want to be too far away from Bella."

"What?" Alice said, giving Jasper a dirty look. "It's her first time out as a vampire, and I want to be close to her, is that so wrong? I mean, we are sisters now, right?"

"I'd love it if you two would stay close by," I said. "I mean, Edward and I could use the company; sure we could make friends with people on campus, but it's not like we can go out to dinner with them."

Everyone laughed at that.

"Ah Bella," Jasper said. "It is a lot of fun being around you."

"Have you heard from Matt recently?" Alice asked.

"He sent me a letter saying he was in Syracuse with Kate and that they were going to apply for college there," I said.

"Good," Alice replied. "I'm glad that they're finding their way."

"Yeah, I just hope Charlie finds someone," I said. "Although, he doesn't have much experience in the area of finding women."

"I'm sure Esme will play matchmaker if need be," Jasper said.

"I hope she does, I think Charlie needs that kind of push."

"Well, enough chitchat, I'm starved," Jasper said. "What do we say we go for a hike and see what kind of food is out there?"

Sorry that ended kind of abruptly, but I was running out of steam. I want to give Charlie some kind of love interest (perhaps someone involved in the Volturi?), and I would like to work The Agency back in somehow. As always, suggestions are welcomed – even encouraged :-) 


	18. Chapter 18

**Finally! Back to this story! I said I would finish it and I will. I'm going to wrap it up in the next few chapters – it won't be as long as the rest of my stories.**

Our first few months at Dartmouth have been wonderful. Alice and Jasper have been staying with us and keeping us company; and they've decided to enroll in school for the spring semester. Jasper, inspired by my unorthodox major, has expressed an interest in trying photography; Alice said she's going to study anthropology.

I had joined the glee club and was getting ready to perform in a concert over the winter holidays. I believe I'm driving everyone crazy wandering around the apartment singing all day, but I'm so excited about performing in my first big concert. Plus, I would be featured as a soloist; I was singing 'O Holy Night.'

**December 18**

With just two hours before my performance, I sat at the vanity in my bedroom as Alice did my hair.

"I can't believe I'm actually nervous," I said. "I didn't think I was supposed to feel unsure of myself anymore."

Alice chuckled as she wrapped a lock of hair around the curling iron, "We still have our moments of self-consciousness."

There was a knock at the door as Edward poked his head in, "You're already doing her hair? You have two hours until the concert!"

"Hey," Alice said. "Beauty takes time."

"Not for my Bella," He countered.

"Let her have her fun, Edward," I said. "Or else she makes our lives more difficult."

"Hey," Alice protested, pulling my hair slightly.

A very sullen looking Jasper waltzed in and leaned against the far wall. "Do I really have to go to this?"

"Jasper," Alice hissed, but I gave him a reassuring smile.

"I already told you that you don't have to come, Jasper."

"Yeah, but then you gave me the Bambi face that let's me know that if I don't go it will hurt your feelings so I'll just sit here and piss and moan about it and go anyway – you know, just to maintain my reputation and what-not."

I smiled while Alice scowled at him through the mirror, "Always have to be the bad boy, don't you?"

"Indeed."

"OK then, Bella, I think I'm almost done here," Alice said as she picked up an aerosol can and pointed it at my head. "Just need the finishing touch."

She sprayed my hair into submission and stood back to smile at her work, "I've really out done myself this time."

"You did well, sweets," Jasper said wrapping his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head.

"Well, it's not like it's a hard job making Bella look beautiful," Edward said as he lifted me out of the vanity chair and spun me around.

I got to the concert with plenty of time to spare and ended up wandering the halls of the Hopkins Center working on scales. Not that I needed it. It was a great feeling, knowing my voice would never change from the state it is in now. And, I'll never have to worry about nasty things like phlegm or mucus ever again.

I walked around the backstage area and launched into my song to practice my dynamics with the acoustics in the narrow hallway.

The rest of my choir showed up and we rehearsed briefly with the conductor before he walked us out onto the stage for our performance. We performed a few ensemble pieces and then the conductor called me down to perform my piece.

The accompanist played the chord I would sing the song in before the conductor raised his baton and I launched into the song again.

_O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining;  
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.  
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.  
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.  
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,  
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.  
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!  
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;  
O night, O Holy Night, O night divine!  
O night, O Holy Night, O night divine!_

I sang the first verse again and took the chorus even louder this time – I closed my eyes for an added effect, like I was even more into the song than I had been previously. I wrapped the song up and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Edward had planted himself in the front row with what looked like three dozen long-stem roses. I smiled at him directly as I bowed slightly and then stepped back onto the risers behind me to continue with the concert.

Edward, Alice and Jasper met me in the lobby for congratulations after the concert had finished before I stated that being around all of the people was beginning to make me nervous.

"When was the last time you fed?" Edward asked so softly, even my human ears wouldn't have been able to hear it.

"Over a week ago," I said at the same decibel level. "I'm fine; it would just be a good idea to feed sometime tonight."

"Well," Jasper said, "Then let's get out of here and do some hunting."

Jasper had become quite fond of the moose population of New Hampshire. We were heading out to Edward's car when I stopped at a familiar voice in the crowd. Not an actual voice, but someone's inner voice. It reminded me of my time spent in Washington D.C.

I listened more carefully as Edward stood beside me and tried to hear what I was hearing. He looked at me with wide eyes as we heard the voice say "that looks something like her, but a bit different. Are we sure it's the same girl?"

My vampire eyes scanned the lobby until they found the source of the voice, Agent May. He was the first deputy under the supervisor for The Agency – Agent Weld. May was speaking like a secret service agent into the cuff of his coat sleeve. I almost laughed at how comical he was until I realized the girl he was speaking about was most likely me.

I turned to Edward, "It's The Agency, they're here."

"How?" He hissed as Alice began to catch wise to what we were talking about.

"I don't know, but that's Agent May and he seems to be very interested in me right now – and I don't think it's because I did such a great job tonight."

Edward turned his deadly glare on Alice, "How did you not see this coming?"

"I had no idea I had to be watching some secret government group, Edward," she hissed as we made our way outside. "Maybe we can just send you two away for a while until they stop looking for Bella."

"What do you see now, Alice?" Edward asked as we got into the Volvo.

"Nothing, I don't see them finding Bella at least," she replied.

"What about Charlie or Matt?" I asked frantically.

"Nothing on them either," she said. "Don't worry, they think they're on to you, but we can just put you into hiding. It's not like we don't have all of eternity to send you all from place to place until they will have assumed you've died…or at least gotten too old to still look like a 17-year-old."

"No time for jokes, Alice," Edward warned.

"Let's just lay low for a while," Alice replied, "I'll keep my eye on them, and if I see any change in their behavior, I'll start making travel plans – OK?"

"That sounds good," I said before Edward could argue.

He gritted his teeth but nodded his head in agreement as we drove out to the White Mountains to hunt. I think Edward really needed to run in the woods to calm down for a while.

Charlie came back from Europe with Esme and Carlisle and Edward and I immediately sat him down at our apartment to explain the Agency situation. We told him that Alice will be keeping tabs on Agent May and even Agent Weld to make sure nothing else turns up – and if it does, we've all decided to take a break and head to see some of Carlisle's friends from Ireland for a little bit and then go from there.

"Alright," Charlie said, "That sounds like a good plan. And, anyway, it's not as though The Agency could really take us on at this point. Or any branch of the Unites States government for that matter – especially if we have Matt, Edward and Emmett at our disposal."

I smiled at Charlie; he was really getting into this whole being a vampire bit. Once we had gotten the unpleasantness out of the way, Charlie and Edward's parents finally got to tell us about their trip. Well, Charlie did most of the talking – he regaled us with stories about visiting all the famous landmarks. He seemed to like Italy in particular.

"Oh, it was beautiful, Bells! You'll love it! I think we should go for your Spring Break! I'm certainly going back as soon as I can, I love the architecture and the history and the people…it's so amazing!"

I was taken aback. Charlie is never this wistful about anything – particularly not architecture or history. There was something else going on here.

"What's her name?" I asked eagerly.

"Who's?" He replied.

"The woman you met in Italy," I said. "You must have met someone; I've never seen you like this."

"What? No! I've…I'm not seeing anyone…I..." he began stuttering but he knew it was fruitless. He was smitten.

I smiled, "Who is she?"

He stopped and looked at his folded hands before him before continuing with his admission. "Her name is Renee; she's been working with the Volturi for the past 50 years."

"And what does she look like?" I asked.

"What does that matter?" He countered with a smiled. "When have you ever been a girl who judges another female on her appearance?"

"I don't, I'm just curious."

He smirked, "She is a bit taller than you with long brown hair and she always seemed to have beautiful green eyes, though I think she was wearing contacts."

"And is she nice?" I asked. "Is she worthy of my father?"

"I believe she is," Carlisle piped in as he looked over mine and Edward's immense library of books. "She is not one of their heinous lackeys; she does some independent surveillance work for them. She makes sure we never run into another situation like the immortal children."

I remembered, vaguely, the stories that Edward had told me about Tanya's mother dying at the hands of the immortal children and grimaced slightly.

"So, if we go to Italy for Spring Break, will I get to meet her?" I asked.

"I'm sure you will," Charlie said, "In fact, if we can't make it out there, I was thinking of inviting her out to the states. She's originally from Phoenix, so she said she'd like to come back for a visit. Though, it's difficult to go out in the daytime in Phoenix."

We all laughed at that and I stood to sit by Charlie. I put an arm around him and he did the same to me, "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

"Thanks, Bells."

Christmas time had rolled around sooner than I had expected. It was just a few days before the 25th and Alice and I rushed to a few stores in New York to find some things for everybody.

Alice already had finished her shopping, and stood over my shoulder the whole time, criticizing my choices as I tried to find some things for the people I love.

"I don't know if Edward will like that," she said as I held up a bottle of cologne at Bergdorf Goodman. "He's not much for cologne. It doesn't tend to do much for…people like us. We have our own unique smell."

"That's very true," I agreed, "And I do love his smell."

I settled on some nice pieces for Edward – sweaters and shirts and shoes. I did the same for Charlie, but even more so – he's not one for fashion, and he could use a woman's touch, especially considering he's got a new girlfriend. I got Matt some nice trinkets like watches, belts and jewelry. He's getting a bit metrosexual in his vampirehood.

For Carlisle, I stuck to things like books and rare artifacts. And I got some lovely antique lamps for Esme. I wasn't about to buy something for Alice with her hanging over my shoulder all day. In fact, I had already purchased her gift months ago. I found it back in Port Angeles of all places, at a library.

On Christmas morning – Emmett, Rosalie, Matt and Kate all showed up at a home Carlisle and Esme bought on Martha's Vineyard. Everybody went through the motions of handing out presents and spreading general cheer to one and all.

I gave the appropriate responses to all the presents, but I was really waiting for Alice to open her present for me. I had tried to control my thoughts and actions around her. I had found this present over a year ago, when we were all still in Forks, and had hoped it would not have passed through her radar.

I held my breath as she opened the package. If she knew what was inside, she didn't show it. She just pulled the ribbon from the box and pulled the top off of the present. When she looked inside, she seemed stunned.

"Where did you get this?" She asked as she pulled the object out of the box.

"Port Angeles," I said. "Edward had told me a bit about your history when we were still in Forks and I found this at a library."

She held up the newspaper from the year 1925; it was from Biloxi, and held the birth announcement of Alice Marie Gardner, Alice's niece from her sister Cynthia. There was a newspaper under it that read the wedding announcement for Alice to a David Proctor in 1950. The third paper held their 50th anniversary in 2000.

If Alice's eyes could well up, they would have as she looked at me.

"Thank you," she said. "This is great, I had wondered where Alice is right now, but I've been too scared to look."

She stood to give me a hug before we resumed our present exchange.

**OK this one's a bit short, but I just wanted to get it back up and running again. I know some of you might want to look back and refresh your memories on this one.**

**So, I'm thinking a brief interlude with the Volturi and The Agency next. What do you think?**


	19. Chapter 19

The next few months went by without incidents, but we were all still on high alert

The next few months went by without incidents, but we were all still on high alert. It wasn't like The Agency to simply make one appearance and then just let things go – they had to be up to something, but it was difficult for Alice to pinpoint any specific happenings.

In the beginning of February, we made plans to head to Italy for Spring Break. I wanted to meet this Renee that Charlie talked about, and Matt was planning on bringing Kate out there with him. I was hoping soon the two would announce they were getting married – it would make me so happy to know that Matt would have someone to keep him happy for the rest of eternity.

If my heart could beat, it would be working overtime right now. Italy, one of those places I've always wanted to visit, but only read about—and now, I'm just a few hours away. Edward, Jasper, Alice and I took off from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and would meet Charlie, Matt, Kate and the mysterious Renee when we landed.

And, Alice had predicted that we would have to take an audience with the Volturi. Nothing serious, just so they can check up Matt and myself. They've seen Charlie since his change.

My super-heightened reflexes made my fidgeting during the flight that much more spastic as I sat in my seat and looked out the window. I saw the Atlantic Ocean below me—just one big expansion of blue that seemed to go on forever. When I focused with all of my power, I was able to make out the ripples of the tide, even at 30,000 feet. Wow, these vampire eyes really are amazing.

Edward noticed how I tapped my foot against the floor and drummed my nails on the tray in front of me. He reached out to still my hand, "Love, don't make this too noticeable."

"What?"

He motioned to the tray table beneath my hand and I saw that my drumming had left four small dents in the plastic.

"Oh...sorry," I said. "I'm just excited; I've never been overseas before, you know."

"I know," he said with a grin as he leaned in to kiss me. "And I'm happy that you're excited. But the airline won't be so happy if you destroy their property."

I stuck my tongue out at him and return to the window, "You know, I used to be a bit frightened of heights. I guess being indestructible kind of takes away most of your fears, doesn't it?"

"In a way, yes," he said, his voice only audible to me, "But, there are still things I fear. And remember, we're not completely indestructible."

I sighed and watched as clouds passed by under the plane. I thought of the time when I was eight and Charlie took Matt and I to see the Washington Monument. I had never been in anything so tall, and wasn't yet aware I was afraid of heights. It took Matt and I about 6 minutes to reach the top of the structure, with Charlie lagging behind begging us to slow down.

Once we could see Washington D.C. laid out before us, I felt my hands start to shake. I held onto the nearest stable object—to this day, I can't remember what it was—to keep myself from swaying in the wind. Matt, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy this immensely. He teased me mercilessly as I grasped, white-knuckled, to Charlie's jacket once he joined us.

Once we were back on the ground, Charlie took us for ice cream to try and make me feel better. But I declared I'd never go into anything that high ever again.

I wonder what 8-year-old me would think of me now—looking out at such a great height and being completely at peace. But, then again, I'm not sure 8-year-old me could ever believe I would become a vampire, so I guess the height question's a bit of a moot point, really.

We landed at the Rome Fiumicino Airport at 4 in the morning, while it was still dark out. We quickly claimed our baggage and made our way to rent a car. Edward and I sped off to meet the others in a Lamborghini.

"Subtle," I quipped.

"Hey, I'm here on vacation and to show my wife the best that Rome has to offer...cars included."

Alice and Jasper weren't far behind in a Ferrari. We met my family at Villa Borghese where they were all standing near the lake talking. I noticed the new addition right away. Renee was a remarkable looking woman, even for a vampire. She has dark hair that cascades in waves down her back and large, dark crimson eyes. They weren't like the eyes I had when I first changed, they held something unique in them—something that looked like a gentle kindness.

She rushed to me when she saw me and held me in an embrace, "You must be Bella, your father has told me all about you. I'm Renee."

She had a sweet, musical voice that I identified automatically as distinctly American. I remembered, of course, that she was from Phoenix originally, but her exotic beauty made me still believe that when she opened her mouth, her voice would sound like some actress in a vintage Italian movie.

I hugged her back before I turned to greet Charlie and Matt similarly. We all wandered around the beautiful park; I held Edward's hand as we gazed upon the lake, bathed in moonlight. I once again thanked my new found vampire vision for the ability to take this all in—and the heightened senses that filled me with a sudden, erotic feeling as Edward stopped and stared at me. His topaz eyes were filled with longing and passion.

This really is the most beautiful and vital city in the world—it was inspiring both of us to throw caution to the wind and embrace everything around us. Edward turned to the others, "Where will we be staying tonight?"

"I live not far from here," Renee said, "A little villa in Anzio, about an hour south of here."

"Well, maybe not an hour south the way Edward and Alice drive," I smirked.

Edward gave me a lascivious grin, "Well, what if I said I'd rather stay in the city tonight?"

"Why?"

"There's a hotel in Rome that Esme swears by," he said as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "I was hoping we would stay there tonight."

"But..." I began as Renee cut me off.

"Bella, you're not actually going to refute a night with that gorgeous man to stay with us boring saps, are you?" She asked, waggling her eyebrows at me.

I rested my head against his chest and laughed, "No, I suppose not."

"Good," Edward replied as he kissed the top of my head, "Then we should be on our way soon, the sun's about to come up."

He took me by the hand and led me back to the car as the others watched us with knowing looks. Edward sped off towards the heart of the city, and we found ourselves in front of beautiful building. I imagined the inside was even more beautiful.

We entered a massive, white entry way and made our way to the front desk. It was early in the morning, almost 6 a.m., and it seemed the staff was just getting things ready for the day. Edward placed his hand on the small of my back as he began speaking to the concierge in beautiful, fluent Italian. Was there nothing this man couldn't do?

I caught a few words here and there—Italian is not one of the languages I know fluently—and Edward handed the man his credit card. The man typed some things into his computer, and then handed us the card key. Bell hops were already pulling our luggage from the trunk of the car and putting it on racks to take to our room.

The décor was exquisite; it was just the kind of place I imagined Esme to be in—modern and sophisticated. Our room was so elegantly designed, simply and clean, yet very, very stylish. After Edward gave the bellhop a generous tip, he shut the door and turned to me with a predatory grin.

"Mmmm, it's been to long since I've been alone with my wife," he purred as he crept slowly towards me.

"It's only been two days," I countered.

"We've been sharing an apartment with Alice and Jasper," he replied, "That's not what I call 'alone.'"

"Well then," I said as I kicked my shoes off and crawled onto the bed, "I guess it's time to see how sturdy this bed really is."

He growled low in his throat and leapt onto the end of the bed. He landed, cat-like, in a crouch as I assumed the same position on the other end. We stared at each other in tense anticipation until Edward flew through the air towards me. My reflexes have slowed as of late, and I wasn't fast enough to elude him—nor did I want to.

As much as I enjoyed the cat and mouse chase, I enjoyed making love to him much, much more. And I wasn't about to waste a minute of our night being coy.

His body slammed into mine as we landed on the ground with a thud. His lips went automatically to my neck as my hands wound into his hair. He sucked gently at my throat and I urged him on with intense fervor.

"Edward," I moaned, "Please make love to me! I need you so badly."

"As you wish, my love."

He lifted me off of the ground as if I weighed no more than a feather and laid me gently on the bed. His hands found their way to the waist of my skirt and tugged the zipper down so he could slip them off of my hips and throw them to the floor. My tank top soon joined it.

Once we were freed off all garment restraints – flimsy as they are – we were also free to use every surface in the room anyway we pleased. What started out on the bed soon made its way to the desk against the opposite wall; then to the table, the chaise lounge, the shower and just about every inch of wall space possible.

And we stayed connected the whole time.

We kept the shades drawn and stayed in bed all day until I remembered that my family was out at some beautiful, secluded villa without me. I looked up to Edward who knew what I was thinking before I even formed the words.

"Let's get dressed and go out to the villa," he said quietly.

Suddenly, his phone started ringing – it was Alice.

"What's wrong?" His voice was trying to remain calm, but Alice sounded very panicky. "How long? OK…you're all on your way now? Good. Don't be so worried, Alice, this isn't going to go badly. They just want to see how Matt and Bella are doing now, I'm sure. OK, see you when you get here."

He hung up and turned to me, "The Volturi are on their way. They'll want to meet somewhere private, I'm sure, but they may come here first to see you."

"How many are there?" I asked. "Will it be just the three, like last time?"

"Alice saw four," he said. "Aro and Caius, of course, but also Jane and Alec. So, we need to me on high, mental alert."

"OK, so when will they be here?"

"About 20 minutes," he said. "But the others will be here before that, so we'll have the advantage of numbers."

"Advantage of numbers? Why do we need the advantage of numbers?"

"Just in case."

We made our way back down to the lobby a few minutes later and Edward checked us out of our room. The Lamborghini was parked in front of the hotel, and the bellhops were putting our bags in. The Ferrari pulled up seconds later, with a motorcycle behind it that carried both Matt and Kate, covered head to toe in leather.

Our family walked into the hotel and we all congregated in the lobby.

"There still about five minutes out," Alice said as she reached us, "So, what are we going to do?"

"What can we do?" I asked. "It's not like we can just skip out on the Volturi."

"Things will be fine, trust me," Renee said. "If anything, they may just ask Matt and Bella if they would like to join the Volturi in some way – like they do with all new vampires – and then they can just decline and be on their way. That's what Charlie did."

"They asked you to join them?" Matt asked Charlie.

"Yes, even despite my seeming lack of any special ability, they still think I'll be an asset."

"Of course you would," I said, "You'd be an asset to anyone, Dad."

I hugged him and Alice suddenly went tense.

"What's wrong?" Jasper asked.

"The Agency," she said quietly, "That Agent May is here, and another man. They'll be here about the same time the Volturi arrive. I can't believe I took my sights off of them – and now they're on our tails again."

"But, won't this be kind of a good thing?" Matt asked. "I mean, the Volturi show up and see the agents poking around and decide they might make a good snack."

"It's not that simple," Jasper said. "If the Volturi do kill them, the government will send more people out to find them, and then that could send more Volturi henchmen out to the states to take care of the situation. It could turn into a war."

"Actually," Renee said quietly, "There could never be a war between the Volturi and the U.S. government."

"Why not?" Edward asked.

Renee motioned for us to follow her into the conference room and we sat down around a long table. She sighed and began slowly.

"Years ago, a young student from the U.S. came out to study in Rome for a semester back in 1951. He was studying ancient architecture and became fascinated with the city of Volterra. His interest became intense…a bit too intense actually. One day, he stumbled upon the Volturi's hiding place, but instead of being angry, Aro was intrigued by this young man. He was highly intelligent, and yet was an imposing figure – large and intimidating, even to a vampire. So, Aro and Caius enticed him into joining. His name was Felix McCormack, and he was the son of a congressman from Massachusetts. Once he changed, his father sent people out to find him – members of the CIA – because he had assumed something had happened; that perhaps his son had become involved in some sort of debauched scheme that would cause a scandal for the congressman. So, once the CIA agents showed up, Aro decided, rather ingeniously, to make a pact with the U.S. government. If the Volturi control the world's vampire population, they have no trouble from the states."

We all sat there and drank this in – the Volturi was in cahoots with the U.S. government. It sounded like a plot out of a Robert Ludlum novel, but it also made sense. Don't most secret world organizations all have some kind of connection?

"So, you mean that big lug, Felix, was once a lover of ancient architecture?" Jasper asked in disbelief.

Despite ourselves, we all laughed at that. But our laughter was interrupted by a wicked cackle coming from the doorway – Aro stood there in all his creepy glory.

"Yes, well that's generally not a story we like most to know, Renee," he said as he drifted into the room. "But, since the Swans – well, Swan-Cullens, I suppose – also have that government connection, it won't be lost on them how important our secrecy is. Hello Bella, Matthew; I see you both have handled your transformations wonderfully."

"We have," I said politely; Matt simply nodded curtly.

"Well, I suppose you're wondering why I'm here, and why Agents May and Weld are here, as well. Yes, they contacted us when they had a suspicion that you all may have…changed. It may come as no surprise that we have one of our own in the CIA, and Marcel managed to find the four of you in Hanover, and Matthew in New York. Let me assure you that The Agency will not take you back to your old life, dear children. That's not what they're interested in anymore. They're simply curious, as I am, of your progress. Ah…they're here."

Aro opened the door and the two men walked in warily – obvious uncomfortable beyond words to enter a room full of vampires.

"Wait!" Matt said. "I thought the Volturi do away with all humans who find out about the existence of vampires. Why would they work with a human government?"

"For the greater good," Aro said, his light, airy voice causing the agents to visibly shiver. "This is a way for us to roam freely in the U.S. without hassle."

"And," Agent Weld said, his voice shaky, "It keeps all incidences involving…vampires…under wraps. Omnipotent as we like to think we are in the government, we still don't have the resources to handle something like…v-vampires."

He looked like he was on the verge of vomiting, but managed to keep it down. Agent May just kept on standing rigid in the corner, his eyes darting wildly between all eight of us.

"So, what do you want with us?" I asked.

"We just need confirmation of your status," Weld said. "…A-Aro said that you are what they refer to as 'vegetarian' vampires – you only…f-feed on animals?"

"Yes," Matt and I said in unison.

"OK then," Weld said. "And, you're living where now? Hanover?"

"We are," I said motion to Edward, Alice and Jasper, "We all attend Dartmouth."

"Katie and I are living in Syracuse," Matt said. "We're going to start at the university next fall, I needed a year off from school."

"And Charlie is…" Weld began.

"I will be moving to Italy soon," he said. "Just need to get the paperwork pushed through."

Matt and I looked at him in happy surprise; this Renee thing had to be serious indeed if he was moving all the way out here for her.

"Alright, so that's all we needed to know," Weld said.

"Seriously?" Matt asked. "You flew over 4,000 miles out here to ask us where we're living and what our diets are now?"

"We…we just had to see you in person, so we could report back to the CIA bosses," Weld said. "We promise, there will be no more intrusions from us – unless, of course, you get out of line."

"We won't," Matt said defensively.

Agent Weld nodded quickly and grabbed May's jacket, pulling him out of the room and, hopefully, out of our lives forever.

Aro smiled as he turned back to us, "So, that settles that, then."

"Wait," I said, standing up, "What do you mean, 'that settles that?' It can't be that simple! The Agency held us there for almost 18 years under surveillance, and now they're just letting us go? That doesn't make any sense! Why would they do that?"

"For the very simple reason that you are no longer under their jurisdiction," Aro said. "You are under my jurisdiction now. And, in accordance with the agreement, they have no further claim on you."

I still felt unconvinced, but Edward squeezed my hand gently and I let it drop. He kissed my cheek softly before turning back to Aro, "So, we should be on our way, then. We're on vacation…"

"Not quite yet," Aro said as the door opened, Caius, Jane and Alec walked into the room. "There are still some pressing matters to discuss."

**OK, I know some of you don't like cliffhangers, but I want to save the full Volturi scene for the next chapter – the last chapter.**

**I have a sequel to start…plus, I have this story swirling around in my head that's keeping me up at night, so I need to get that out before I start falling asleep at work :-S**


	20. Chapter 20

**This is the end…**

The four members of the Volturi began to close in on us somewhat menacingly – although, Alec and Jane hardly cut intimidating figures. They were going to try and convince Matt and me to join them. I heard Aro cackling inwardly about the prospects of having two such 'servants' as my brother and me.

Jane looked at me with great determination, she was concentrating on what I assumed was her gift – to torture people through a sort of 'mental burning.' But it was all in vain.

"Aro," she whispered, "She's not responding."

Aro beheld me thoughtfully. "I have heard of those immune to certain…mental abilities…but…"

"You wondering if I would be immune to your mind-reading," I said plainly, "And, yes, I probably would."

Aro's eyes seemed stunned for a split second before returning to his usual, aloof expression. "You can read my mind, though."

I nodded, "And I know the little one was trying to burn me with her mind, but she can't get through, either."

He narrowed his eyes slightly at me, but quickly returned. He was trying to think of another way to use his incredible influence on us. I suddenly thought of Matt – what were they trying on him right now? I felt this energy surge through me and flow out towards my family. Jane turned her attention to Matt, but he didn't respond to her either.

I figured out quickly that the energy coming out of me was some sort of protection – and I was somehow cloaking my family in that protection. Jane become frustrated once again and turned to her brother.

"Are you trying, Alec? They should be writhing in pain right now!"

"I am trying the best I can," he retorted, "There's something in the way."

I couldn't contain my smug smile as I gazed at Aro; he finally dropped his façade of calm and glared at me.

"So, it seems we won't be doing this the old fashioned way."

"I suppose not," I replied as Edward stood beside me and held my hand.

I could feel the energy flowing from me coursing through his body, and I turned to him and smiled. He returned my smile and then turned to Aro, "So, what was it you wanted of my wife, Aro?"

Aro straightened and regained his composure, "The same thing I would ask of you, dear Edward, to become part of the Volturi. You both would be incredibly beneficial to our family, and we would take great care of you."

Edward looked back to me and I raised an eyebrow and shook my head slightly. He chuckled, "Well, Aro, it seems my wife doesn't want to become part of your 'family,' and frankly, neither do I…I hope you understand."

"That's right," I added, "We have our own family."

Aro's lips tightened and he lifted his chin ever so slightly, "If that's the way you would like it to be…"

"Me, too," Matt said, "Katie and I want to be left alone, as well."

Aro shot my brother a withering glance before continuing, "Well, then. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your stay in Rome."

He motioned for the others to leave – Caius gave us all one last, warning look and he closed the door behind them. I waited for a good five minutes before I dropped the protective shield and Edward pulled me into his arms. He spun me around and I kissed him thoroughly.

He set me back down and I turned to Alice, "You don't see them trying anything soon, do you?"

She thought for a moment, "No, we're safe for the time being."

"Good!" Matt said, "We wouldn't want them to ruin our wedding."

"What?" I said, turning to my brother.

"Katie and I have been planning to have a little impromptu wedding while we're in Rome."

"You rat!" I cried. "I knew you were hiding something from me! I haven't been able to hear your thoughts since we got here."

"I think what Bella meant was congratulations," Edward said.

"Thanks, Katie called some chapel out here and set up a time for us to have a small service on Thursday."

"Well," Alice said with a smirk, "Looks like we have wedding gown shopping to do – as well as bridesmaid dresses."

I rolled my eyes and looked at Kate, "Great, we have unleashed the monster."

The wedding gown shopping trip was actually surprisingly painless. Alice found Kate a very nice dress – though, I think Kate was willing to take whatever Alice picked out for her, she's not terribly picky about clothes.

But, what was really impressive was the chapel – Cappella Paolina, in Vatican City.

"How were you able to get this?" I asked Kate as we arrived.

"An old friend of mine in the Volturi set it up for me," she said mysteriously, "That's all I can say."

"Well," I replied with a smirk, "At least they're good for something."

She laughed as we walked into the chapel and I gaped at the intricate artwork and architecture all around. Although, I'm sure if any of these priests knew what we all were, they'd have the holy water and garlic at the ready. Even if that all was very futile against actual vampires.

Alice and I walked down to the alter and waited as Kate floated towards us gracefully. If it was possible, she looked like she had a beautiful flush to her cheeks; though, that may have just been Alice's makeup job.

Kate had instructed that the entire service be given in Latin, and Edward said he would translate it all for me later. One thing's for sure, if I'm going to be around until the end of time, I'm going to start learning as many languages as possible.

After we all celebrated the union back at the hotel Edward and I had stayed at earlier in the ballroom. We managed to get the staff to set up a stereo to play some nice, old Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin music and we danced through the night.

When we retreated back to Renee's villa – all except Matt and Kate – I looked at Edward and smiled.

"I still can't quite believe I have all of eternity to spend with you," I said as I kissed him gently.

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

**So, that's all.**

**I hope I didn't disappoint with the short ending, but I wanted to give it a bit of "Breaking Dawn" but also a bit of my own spin.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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